June 29, 2021
By Ilyasa Baa
An Oxygen Plant is under construction in Kerry Town, equipment for the installation of three other plants procured by the United Nations International Children Educational Fund (UNICEF) is at sea, according to sources within the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.
The government is building its oxygen capabilities in order to save lives as the country struggles with the third wave Delta variant. At the moment, in Kono alone, ten oxygen bottles are manufactured in a day.
In addition, few more bottles are done at the Connaught Hospital in Freetown.
The Minister of Health and Sanitation Dr. Audtin Demby has said the country is exploring possibilities to get sufficient oxygen bottles for the health facilities.
He said the Ministry, together with NACOVERC are putting modalities in place to have one thousand functional beds and make expansion to the PTS-Hastings facility.
He said to control the current highly contagious variant requires compliance from the public noting that the same measures applied to minimize the second and first wave are instrumental towards the war against the Delta variant.
Vigorous data have shown that the vaccines are efficacious and safe and restrictions on public building for the unvaccinated are on course.