India’s coronavirus infections have surged past five million. Al Jazeerah reports that this is putting pressure on hospitals as far as oxygen supplies are concerned. It reports that tens of thousands of critical patients are in need of oxygen.

Doctors in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, say oxygen demand has more than tripled.  An oxygen supplier in the city of Nashik said, “Desperate patients have been calling me through the night but I don’t know when I will get stock.”

According to Al Jazeerah, India is the second country in the world to have more than five million cases. The first is the United States.

In Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, 5,000 cylinders are needed.The demand, usually, is 1,000 cylinders. Meanwhile, Maharashtra, reportedly the worst-affected state, has reduced supply to neighboring states to enable it to meet its own growing demand.

India’s health ministry has reported 90,123 new infections on Wednesday, with 1,290 COVID-19 related fatalities recorded in the last 24 hours.

Umm Muhammed Umar