Authorities from India’s capital Delhi have called for help from the country’s military as the city battles its second wave of COVID-19 cases. The hospitals throughout the capital are facing full Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and inadequate supply of medical oxygen. With deaths reaching 400 in a day, Delhi authorities seek assistance from its armed forces to run COVID care facilities and ICUs. With a record high of 300,000 new cases per day in the past two weeks and a death toll of 220,000, India has now hit 20 million COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

The hospitals in India are overwhelmed with the staggering number of COVID-19 patients. “Overwhelmed… It will be a timely help to the people of Delhi if the Ministry of Defense, with the considerable resources at its command, is tasked with the responsibility to provide and man the additional COVID health facilities”, says Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. He added that they need “urgent” help in the transportation of medical oxygen. The Indian government ordered the armed forces to assist in transporting medical oxygen to hospitals. The government also asked retired military medical personnel to assist. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reiterated that the capital is not getting enough oxygen supplies from the federal government which is in charge of allocating supplies to its states and union territories. The federal government clarified that the challenge lies not on the supply but on transportation. India produces thousands of tonnes of medical oxygen per day however, the problem is the lack of distribution networks.