CO2 cylinders sold as oxygen in Srinagar; shop seized, seller held [details]

J&K is reeling under the second wave of COVID-19 with record high cases and a shocking incident has been reported from Srinagar. It was reported on Tuesday that a shopkeeper in Srinagar was selling CO2 cylinders as oxygen cylinders to people seeking treatment for COVID-19 in the valley.

Due to acute shortage of oxygen nationwide, many such frauds and similar ones have come to light wherein people in desperate need of the living gas have fallen victim. In Srinagar, the unidentified seller was playing with lives of people by selling them carbon-di-oxide cylinders, which are often used for soda or beer carbonation, for refrigeration among other industrial and medical purposes.

COVID victims with low oxygen saturation have difficulty breathing. When the SpO2 levels drop below 90 and have difficulty breathing, they are provided oxygen support under medical supervision so the oxygen saturation doesn't fall further and require ventilator and ICU. Since hospitals are overwhelmed with patients, there are no option but to procure oxygen cylinders and administer it at home setting.

The J&K government, in a bid to help the people in need, mandated a requisite prescription from a doctor to the control room set up at Director Industries Jammu or Divisional Commissioner COVID control room Kashmir before giving refilled cylinders. This was done to ensure there is no black marketing or hoarding of oxygen.

But the incident of CO2 cylinders being sold as oxygen ones is a real shocker and the authorities acted quickly to nab the accused. According to a tweet by DDC Sogam, Kupwara, Nasir Lone, the shop has been seized and the accused has been arrested by the local police.

International Business Times has reached out to Deputy Commissioner/DM Srinagar for a statement.

COVID spikes in J&K ahead of Eid

As locals in Jammu and Kashmir defied the lockdown on Tuesday to shop for the forthcoming Eid festival, the COVID crisis also defied official efforts to bring it under control with 65 deaths and 4,352 new cases reported during the last 24 hours.

A total of 1,708 cases and 41 deaths were reported from the Jammu division and 2,644 cases and 24 deaths from the Kashmir division while 2,262 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery. So far, 224,898 people have been infected with coronavirus in J&K out of which 171,350 have recovered, and 2,487 have succumbed. The number of active cases is 50,701 out of which 18,041 are from the Jammu division and 32,660 from the Kashmir division.