Umar Announces the Import of 6,000 Tons of Oxygen

Asad Umar, the Chief of National Command and Operations Center (NCOC), stated on Friday that the relevant authorities of the federal government have decided to import at least 6,000 tons of oxygen into the country. Moreover, 20 cryogenic tanks, as well as 5,000 cylinders will also be brought in to build the capacity of Pakistan, as the third wave of the novel coronavirus rages on. 

This step was decided during a meeting of the NCOC on Thursday, as revealed by Umar in a Tweet. 

As per the Chief of the NCOC, these kind of proactive decisions are going to ensure that Pakistan does not go through the same turmoil as a couple of other countries. 

Umar went on to inform that the total number of patients in the country who require critical care and are on oxygen, crossed 5,000 on Thursday. This figure is 57% more than what was witnessed in June of last year when the country was experiencing a peak in the number of coronavirus cases. 

So far, Pakistan has managed to proactively deal with the current rise in cases by building up the capacity of the entire system, which includes beds and oxygen production. The NCOC Chief revealed that the total production of oxygen in the country last year was at 487 tons/day. However, this capacity has now been increased to 798 tons. 

He further added that the government authorities imported 19,200 cylinders of oxygen in the year 2020 to ensure that the country did not run out and distribution was possible. 

Umar maintained that despite the fact that there are 2,000 additional patients of the coronavirus on oxygen right now as compared to last year, Pakistan has not experienced a tight supply. At the same time last year, on the other hand, the country had been struggling to provide oxygen to the patients. 

The Federal Minister asserted that the proactive decision making, which has been nationally coordinated, has allowed the authorities to successfully engage in battle with the deadly disease. Though a data analytical approach has been more than helpful for the authorities, the nation is not yet done fighting the pandemic, he added. 

Umar stressed upon the importance of adhering to coronavirus precautions, as well as standard operating procedures (SOPs). He went on to say that no system can successfully cope with and curb the spread of the virus if safety precautions are not followed. 

Just earlier on Thursday, the Chief of the NCOC announced that people aged from 40 to 49 will be able to get vaccinations done from the 3rd of May. 

He also informed that Pakistan recorded more than 100,000 vaccinations for the second time in a row. He expressed happiness at the fact that the country is also vaccinating its citizens at such a quick pace. 

Moreover, in order to deal with the third wave of the coronavirus that is hitting the country with full force, the officials of the federal government have announced several new restrictions, such as a ban on inter-provincial transport and a blanket ban on tourism.