Peru faces a new crisis over medicinal oxygen

1People sleep on empty oxygen cylinders waiting for a store to open to refill their tanks, in the Villa El Salvador neighborhood, while the lack of medical oxygen to treat COVID-19 patients continues in Lima, Peru.

Rodrigo Abd AP

2The shortage of oxygen forces thousands of Peruvians to queue up to four days to get a recharge for a sick relative.

Rodrigo Abd AP

3Marlene and Rosalyn del Águila take tanks full of oxygen to a car that awaits them to deliver them to their mother who tested positive for COVID-19.

Rodrigo Abd AP

4Peru has registered more than 1.6 million positive cases for covid-19.

Rodrigo Abd AP

5On March 25 of this year, the Peruvian Ministry of Health presented a report stating that the expansion of the Brazilian variant was detected in the country, which has caused an increase in deaths and infections among the population.

Rodrigo Abd AP

6The Peruvian Ministry of Economy and Finance allocated more than seven million dollars to finance the purchase of medical oxygen cylinders and concentrators.

Rodrigo Abd AP

7A woman waits on one of the tanks.

Rodrigo Abd AP

8In February 2021, Chile offered to send 1,960 tons of medical oxygen to Peru to alleviate the existing shortage in the country.

Rodrigo Abd AP

9 Peru is preparing to elect a new president and Parliament amid the pandemic on April 11.

Rodrigo Abd AP