Table of contents:
- WHO warns of the oxygen crisis to deal with COVID-19 patients
- 1,024,298
- 831,330
- 28,855
- Why do patients with corona virus infection really need oxygen?
New cases of COVID-19 infection continue to increase. In one week in the third week of June, there were more than 1 million new cases recorded worldwide. Seeing the fast growth of cases of COVID-19 transmission, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of the global oxygen crisis that has befallen countries in the world.
WHO warns of the oxygen crisis to deal with COVID-19 patients
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world was facing a shortage of oxygen concentrators. The shortage of these devices is allegedly due to the number of cases of COVID-19 infection worldwide which has reached 10 million.
Oxygen concentrator is a device used to extract and purify oxygen from the air. This extracted oxygen is then used by medical personnel to provide additional oxygen to patients with lung problems.
“Many countries now have difficulty getting oxygen concentrators. Current demand exceeds supply, "explained Tedros in a press statement Thursday (25/6/2020).
As of Wednesday (8/7), COVID-19 infections have reached nearly 12 million cases and killed more than 540,000 people. In recent weeks, especially at the end of June, there has been a significant increase in cases, namely around 1 million cases in one week.
1,024,298
Confirmed831,330
Recovered28,855
DeathDistribution Map"This increase has pushed the demand for oxygen to 88,000 large tubes per day, or 620,000 cubic meters of oxygen," said Tedros.
WHO buys 14,000 oxygen concentrators directly from the factory to be sent to 120 countries affected by COVID-19 that are really in need. Furthermore, Tedros said as many as 170,000 new oxygen concentrators will be available in the next six months.
Why do patients with corona virus infection really need oxygen?
Not all COVID-19 patients need a medical nurse. According to WHO data, 80% of COVID-19 patients experience only mild symptoms, 15% experience severe symptoms requiring oxygen, and the rest are critical needing a ventilator.
If you count 15% of active cases in Indonesia, it means that currently there are around 4,000 Indonesian COVID-19 patients who need oxygen assistance. This does not add to the 5% of patients who need ventilator assistance to bring oxygen directly to the lungs.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 can directly attack the lungs and make it difficult for patients to breathe.
Patients with these severe and critical symptoms are not getting an adequate supply of oxygen to the blood. They need a higher supply of oxygen and support to get it to the lungs.
If a patient with this condition is left unchecked, it will lead to organ failure and death. Therefore, oxygen concentrators are a very important tool to save patients' lives.
