New Delhi: In shocking incident, around 25 COVID-19 patients lost their lives in the last 24 hours in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, the hospital authority said here on Friday. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Thursday evening raised an alarm for immediate need of oxygen supply as more than 140 critical patients admitted in the hospitals were on ventilators and on oxygen support.

With Delhi Government's efforts, the hospitals received oxygen supply late on Thursday night (at 1 am), however, the hospitals said it received only two MT of oxygen which will last merely for the next few hours. Ganga Ram, one of Delhi's top private hospitals, is treating more than 500 COVID-19 patients, according to reports. Of them, 142 are on high-flow oxygen support, the hospital said.

"Ventilators and Bipap are not working effectively. Resorting to manual ventilation in ICUs and ED. Major Major crisis likely. life of another 60 sickest patients at risk. Need urgent intervention," said Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, in a statement early morning on Friday.

This comes just three days after 22 COVID-19 patients died at a hospital in Maharashtra’s Nashik following the oxygen tank leakage. The incident took place on Wednesday when the oxygen supply to patients stopped abruptly because of a malfunction in the main storage at Dr Zakir Hussain Hospital, run by the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC).

Meanwhile, amid reports of acute shortage of medical oxygen in the hospitals during the second wave of COVID-19 around the country, the government has decided to import oxygen generation plants and containers from Germany to provide to the shortage. Government sources said that 23 mobile oxygen generation plants are being airlifted from Germany and will be deployed in hospitals and provide adequate oxygen to the needy. The government is also procuring a large number of oxygen containers for a suitable supply of oxygen in Delhi and other states.

13 PATIENTS DEAD AFTER FIRE BREAKS OUT AT COVID-19 HOSPITAL IN VIRAR

In another incident, a major fire broke out at Vijay Vallabh Hospital in Virar in Mumbai on Friday. 13 COVID-19 patients lost their lives in the incident. Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray has ordered probe in the matter.