Air India airlifting oxygen concentrators from several countries: Hardeep Singh Puri

Air India is going to airlift 10,636 oxygen concentrators from several countries in the next seven days, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday.

"Air India is airlifting 10,636 oxygen concentrators manufactured by Philips. 636 (concentrators) already flown in from US. Consignments flying in every day. Will be completed within this week," Puri said on Twitter.

India is struggling with a second wave of the coronavirus infection and hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds. Twenty people died at Delhi's Jaipur Golden Hospital last Saturday amid a shortage of medical oxygen.

With 3,23,144 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases has climbed to 1,76,36,307, while the national recovery rate has further dropped to 82.54 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday. The death toll increased to 1,97,894 with 2,771 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.