As COVID-19 cases surge in the national capital, Delhi is likely to extend the lockdown by another week as the city’s health care system is completely overwhelmed, sources have stated.

It is to be noted that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier announced a six-day lockdown till Monday considering that the health care infrastructure at the national capital was crippled as COVID-19 cases began to spike at an alarming rate in the national capital.

Sending out an SOS that a “big tragedy” may happen due to oxygen crisis gripping Delhi’s hospitals for days in the face of the raging catastrophic wave of coronavirus, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal yesterday said the Centre should take over all oxygen plants through the Army.

At a virtual review conference on the Covid situation, held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with CMs of 10 worst Covid-hit states, Kejriwal urged the PM to direct chief ministers of all states to ensure smooth movement of oxygen tankers coming to the national capital.

“Covid patients are in major pain due to oxygen shortage in Delhi. We fear a big tragedy may happen due to oxygen shortage and we will never be able to forgive ourselves. Despite being a CM, I am not able to help the people of Delhi. I request you with folded hands to direct all CMs to ensure smooth movement of oxygen tankers coming to Delhi,” he said during the meeting.

“We need a national plan to deal with the crisis. Central government should take over all oxygen plants through the Army and every tanker coming out of the oxygen plant should be accompanied by an Army escort vehicle,” the Delhi CM said.

“We are thankful to the Central government that they increased our quota of oxygen but we have been trying for two days to get the oxygen supply. The oxygen supply scheduled to come to Delhi from Odisha and West Bengal should either be airlifted or brought through the ‘Oxygen Express’ started by the Centre,” he said.

The hospitals in the national capital have been sending out SOS messages about the escalating “oxygen emergency”.

Twenty-five of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital’s “sickest” Covid patients died in 24 hours and the lives of 60 more hung in precarious balance, officials said on Friday morning as the scramble for oxygen got increasingly more frantic in hospitals across the national capital.