63 people die in Indonesia hospital with oxygen shortage
Arunachal24 desk- More than 60 people died in a hospital in Indonesia this weekend after oxygen supplies nearly ran out, as the country battles a severe wave of Covid-19 that authorities say is driven by the more infectious Delta variant.
In a statement, the Sardjito hospital on Java said 63 patients died between Saturday and early Sunday after it nearly exhausted its oxygen supplies.
The hospital said it had sought more oxygen for days before the incident, but virus patients streaming in since Friday had pushed it beyond its capacity, consuming oxygen faster than expected.
The world’s fourth most populous nation is facing one of Asia’s worst outbreaks, with a record high of 27,913 new cases reported on Saturday. The islands of Bali and Java — which includes the capital Jakarta — went under emergency lockdown Saturday to curb the spread of the resurgent virus.
In Jakarta, the government said the daily figure of funerals following Covid protocols had risen tenfold since early May, with 392 burials on Saturday alone.
The country has “seen a dramatic increase in confirmed cases after the festive holidays,” said Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin on Friday.
