Several cities in Madhya Pradesh such as Indore, Bhopal and Jabalpur, are not only battling against the COVID-19 infection rise but also the scarce availability of medical resources. With the health infrastructure crippling under pressure, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has now been pressed into service, to transport oxygen tankers to these and akin COVID-hit cities in MP and India.

Additionally, the Union Defence Minister has further directed all defence establishments to set up more COVID-19 hospitals, use emergency powers and bring retired personnel to guard any further surge.

IAF to the oxygen rescue

In a bid to meet the rising demands for medical-grade oxygen across the nation, IAF has now been roped into airlifting oxygen tankers across different cities, with promptness and efficiency. Hospitals in Madhya Pradesh are suffering aggressively under the clutches of the second COVID wave, which has washed over its resources, revealing an acute shortage. To fill in these gaps, the IAF will airlift oxygen tankers and cylinders directly from Gujarat's Jamnagar to Indore.

In a tweet, the Indian Air Force stated, "The IAF transport fleet is supporting the fight against Covid-19. Airlift of medical personnel, critical equipment, and medicines is underway for Covid Hospitals and facilities across the country."

The government is also viewing to import oxygen from neighbouring nations and allies across the world, to beef up its supply and availability, in the face of an emergency demand. Reportedly, oxygen generation plants and containers will be procured from Germany to establish independent manufacturing units.

Indore's COVID-19 figures

As of now, around 12,384 new cases were reported in MP in the last 24 hours, where tallies of fresh infections in Indore surged to 1,782; the highest till date. The state's positivity rate stands at 24.2% which has resulted in a total of 87,640 COVID-19 cases, as yet. The state witnessed 10,833 recoveries on Thursday where 2,089 were recorded in Indore. At the same time, 74 deaths in MP and 6 in Indore, added to the fatality toll.