Amid a rise in the number of coronavirus cases in the country, oxygen stocks in at least seven hospitals of Lahore have dwindled with back up of 16 to 24 hours.
According to details, the use of oxygen due to rising coronavirus cases has increased five folds.
Mayo Hospital saw its oxygen use go up by 66pc while Jinnah Hospital recorded 60pc increase in consumption of oxygen, Services Hospital 55pc, General Hospital 41pc, Nawaz Sharif Hospital 47 pc, and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital 33pc.
Oxygen consumption in Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital and Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) rose by 24pc and 21pc, respectively.
Earlier, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar also said that oxygen supply capacity is now under stress. Hospital fill up continuing to grow. Critical care patients now above 4500, which is 30% higher than the peak in June last year. Oxygen supply capacity in the country is now under stress, he added.
On the other hand, Pakistan has reported 157 deaths from COVID-19 in last 24 hours, highest to date as the number of positive cases has surged to 790,016. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 16,999 on Saturday.
According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 5,908 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.