Third wave preparation: Pune civic hospitals to get 7 more O2 plants by mid-July

Four oxygen generation plants are in the process of getting the necessary financial sanction, she added.

“Together, the 15 plants would cater to 1,274 oxygen beds and 214 ICU beds in civic hospitals,” Agarwal said, adding the PMC is making all efforts to ensure sufficient availability of medical oxygen for treatment of patients in its civic hospitals.

Mayor Murlidhar Mohol said that the PMC has earmarked a total of 2,300 oxygen beds, which include those in Jumbo Hospital in Shivajinagar, for treating patients during the anticipated third wave. “The oxygen plant in civic hospitals would help in generating 20-25 tonnes of oxygen every day,” he said.

The PMC has also set up eight plants with a cumulative capacity of 52 tonnes to store oxygen at six civic hospitals.

The civic administration had relaxed the lockdown restrictions in the city on June 21 after it witnessed a continuous downward trend in the number of newly infected patients, with the daily positivity rate dipping to around 5 per cent.

However, after the state government alert on Delta Plus variant of SARS-CoV-2, the PMC again tightened the lockdown rules from June 28 by imposing curfew after 5pm and reintroducing restrictions in public movement after 4 pm. No activity other than emergency services and e-commerce services is allowed after 4pm in the city.

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