NE LEGAL BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, MAY 10
The Gujarat government on Monday told the high court that in view of a downward trend in daily COVID-19 cases, the state is currently in a position to meet the demand for medical oxygen and will request the Centre to augment supply only if the current trend reverses.
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In a reply to the Gujarat High Court hearing a suo motu PIL on the COVID-19 situation, Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi said the number of daily new cases has seen a decreasing trend since the past few days.
Based on the current trend, the oxygen demand and consumption in Gujarat is estimated to stay around 1,250 metric tonnes (MT) for the next 4 to 5 days, and thereafter, show a decreasing trend at a rate of 100 MT per week, she said.
“This estimation, however, is assuming that there is no trend reversal in daily positive cases reported,” she said in an affidavit filed before a division bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Bhargav D Karia.
The state government submitted its affidavit in the HC on Monday, but the matter which will come up for hearing on Tuesday.
Chief Secretary Anil Mukim had, in a letter, requested the central government to enhance the allocation of oxygen to the state as its requirement is projected to go up from 1,250 MT on April 30 and 1,400 MT on May 6 to 1,600 MT by May 15.
Mentioning this in the affidavit, Ravi said ever since the last demand was made on May 5, there has been some improvement in the COVID-19 situation.
But the state is keeping a close watch on daily new cases, ‘so that extra oxygen demand can be immediately put up to the central government with a request to increase allocation, if the need for the same arises’, the affidavit said.
The state is witnessing a stabilisation in demand for medical oxygen, which is used to treat serious COVID-19 patients, the Principal Secretary said.
“Though hospitalisation lags new case detection by 4 to 5 days and bed occupancy in ICUs lags new case detection by 10 to 12 days, nonetheless, the state is seeing a stabilisation in oxygen demand and consumption around 1,250 MT,” said the government’s affidavit.
“It would be necessary to watch new case detection for a few more days before arriving at any conclusion with respect to reduction in (oxygen) demand,” it added.
With inter-departmental coordination, the state is able to manage oxygen demand and supply, and is keeping a close watch on daily new case trend, Ravi said.
The government further said despite the stress on the overall system, the state has been able to fulfil the demand of medical oxygen through various alternative sources.
The affidavit said in the two weeks between April 23 and May 7, the average demand for oxygen in the state was 1,232.3 MT amid a dip in supply due to a shutdown of two plants on two days and a 6-hour-long slowdown in another unit.
The state is procuring liquid oxygen from five production facilities, it said.
The government is procuring 100 to 120 MT perday of oxygen in liquid or gaseous form from 24 PSAs/ASU (Pressure Swing Absorption/Air Separation Units) plants in Gujarat, Ravi said.
“All seven PSA plants sanctioned by the central government under PM Cares Fund have been operationalisedand are supplementing oxygen supply directly at the respective hospitals.
“Efforts are underway to convert 15 nitrogen PAS plants into oxygen PSA plants, to add 25-30 MT of generation capacity,” it said.
As far as Remdesivir injection is concerned, on an average, the state government has met 77 percent of its demands made by each of the 33 districts between April 1 and May 5, the affidavit said.
Remdesivir is an anti-viral drug widely used in treatment of COVID-19 and its demand has shot up dramatically during the second wave of the pandemic.
