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There’s a Global Shortage of Medical Oxygen. Covid-19 Is Making It Worse.
Oxygen is one of the most abundant elements in the universe, but patients are dying from a lack of it
I’ve seen countless severe Covid-19 patients struggling to breathe. When they come into the emergency room, we immediately put an oxygen face mask on them and hook it to the wall. A quick turn of a bedside valve and oxygen rushes forward, quickly filling the patient’s lungs. In many cases, the improvement in the patient’s condition is immediate and dramatic.
In turning that valve, I never worry about the supply of oxygen running out. But my health care colleagues around the world aren’t so lucky.
Despite oxygen being one of the most abundant substances on Earth, people around the world are dying due to a lack of it. The Covid-19 pandemic has made it markedly worse.
Why medical oxygen is important
There are many illnesses that can cause the oxygen level in the blood to dip, a condition known as hypoxemia. Oxygen itself is often the only effective treatment.
Many of the most common causes of death in the world — including premature birth, sepsis, and malaria — could be avoided with oxygen treatment. For…
