The Ministry of Health and Wellness on Sunday (August 29) confirmed that hospitals island-wide were running low on oxygen, with supplies having been entirely depleted at some facilities.

According to a release sent out by the ministry, they were now in dialogue with oxygen suppliers, IGL Limited, who they said were anticipating to replenish their supplies between tomorrow and Tuesday.

“All hospitals – through the regional technical directors at the regional health authorities (RHAs) and senior medical officers – have, in the interim, been instructed on oxygen conservation while the island awaits the restoration of supplies,” read the release.

The ministry said that of particular concern are critically ill COVID-19 patients, who to the time of writing, amounted to 67-patients island-wide.

According to the ministry, critically ill and some non-COVID-19 patients were the biggest consumers of high amounts of oxygen.

The ministry also used the occasion to encourage members of the public to get vaccinated against COVID-19, citing that it is one of the ways to prevent hospitalization if one becomes infected with the virus.

On Saturday (August 28) the island recorded 929 new COVID-19 infections and confirmed 21 deaths.

The new cases moved the total number of infections to 66,663 since the first case was recorded last year while the death toll climbed to 1,504.