Delhi's share of oxygen diverted to another state: AAP government tells HC

Delhi government said that the firm which used to supply 140 metric ton of oxygen per day to the hospitals in the national capital has suddenly stopped its supply and is diverting to another state.

PTI

April 19, 2021 / 22:41 IST

Representational image

The Delhi government, which is battling to cater to the need of oxygen for COVID-19 patients, claimed in the Delhi High Court on April 19 that one of the reasons for the shortage of oxygen was diversion to one of the largest states in the country.

When the submission to this effect was made, a Bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli asked the state’s name but senior advocate Rahul Mehra, representing the Delhi government, refrained from naming it and said it could “become political”.

When the bench said “it is not political for us”, Mehra replied “it is one of the largest states. I will leave it at that”.

During the hearing, Delhi government said that the firm which used to supply 140 metric ton of oxygen per day to the hospitals in the national capital has suddenly stopped its supply and is diverting to another state.

The bench then directed the firm M/s Inox, which used to supply oxygen to Delhi hospitals and has suddenly stopped, to immediately restore the oxygen supply.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

Show