Africa Is Running Out of Oxygen
June 25, 2021
(NPR) – Hospital wards across Uganda are filling with COVID-19 patients as the country faces an aggressive surge in cases. One of the biggest issues have: a serious shortage of oxygen. Over the last month, the number of daily reported infections has increased tenfold, showing no signs of letting up. Cases have jumped from less than 100 a day in mid-May to 1,584 on June 18th. “ICU bed capacity is now full, almost at 100%,” says Willy Tabu, a physician based in Kampala who helps coordinate Mercy Corps response to the pandemic. And it’s not only beds that are a concern.Tabu says severely ill COVID patients need oxygen, but the supply just isn’t there. (Read Full Article)
