Published 01:27 IST, June 26th 2020
WHO warns of oxygen shortage as COVID-19 cases worldwide near 10 million mark
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyes has said that the world is facing a shortage of oxygen concentrators as the number of COVID-19 cases near the 10 million mark
World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on June 24 said that the world is facing a shortage of oxygen concentrators as the number of COVID-19 cases near the 10 million mark. Tedros added that many countries across the world are facing huge difficulties as there is a severe shortage of oxygen ventilators.
According to Worldometer, the total number of COVID-19 cases worldwide has crossed 9.5 million mark. The WHO chief added that the UN health body is supporting many countries in the battle against the pandemic with oxygen supplies and other medical aid but added that the 'demand is outstripping supply'.
As per reports, Ghebreyesus said that while the COVID-19 pandemic has infected over 9.5 million people across the world and resulted in more than 480,000 fatalities so far, the virulent virus is rising by about 1 million cases per week. The disease has pushed oxygen demand to 88,000 large cylinders per day or consumption of about 620,000 cubic metres of oxygen, he added.
WHO purchased 14,000 oxygen concentrators
According to international media reports, the UN health body has purchased 14,000 oxygen concentrators from manufacturers and aims them to send them to 120 countries in the coming weeks. The WHO chief added that, in addition, 170,000 concentrators priced at around $100 million will be readily available over the next six months.
With the global cases crossing 9.5 million mark, the World Health Organisation chief warned that the pandemic is accelerating and producing record daily high. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference that the world cannot fight the pandemic divided, referring to the criticism from US President Donald Trump.
Tedros' comments came as the confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus soared in Brazil, Iraq, India, and southern and western US states, overburdening the healthcare system. The first one million cases of COVID-19 worldwide were witnessed in three months, however, one million cases have now come in just eight days, Tedros said during a videoconference for the Dubai-based World Government Summit.
On April 23, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the virus will be around for a long time. During a virtual press conference in Geneva, the WHO chief further warned that most of the countries in the world were still in their early stages of tackling the crisis. He had said that some countries who had thought of having the virus under control were witnessing a resurgence in the cases.
(Image Credits: AP)
Updated 01:27 IST, June 26th 2020