The development comes as India is battling a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and several states are facing severe shortage of oxygen for medical use. [Representative image: Reuters]

The Centre, on April 18, banned the supply of oxygen for industrial purposes, except in nine specified industries and termed it “essential public health commodity”, as hospitals face severe shortage amid the unprecedented second wave of COVID-19 cases in India.

The decision came amid rapidly increasing cases and high demand for medical oxygen from states such as Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said.

In fact, demand for medical grade oxygen rose by almost 60 percent and is expected to rise further as cases increase, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said.

Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here

So, here is all you need to know about the oxygen supply situation in India and developments so far:

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

Show

>> Further, Indian Railways has said that it will run 'Oxygen Express' trains over the next few days to transport liquid medical oxygen and oxygen cylinders across the country. First tankers for this are expected to begin from April 19 and a green corridor is being created for free movement of these trains, an official told PTI.

>> The move from IR comes after Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh approached the Rail Ministry for help transporting oxygen tanks via the rail network.

Follow our full COVID-19 coverage here

Oxygen shortage in India: All you need to know as COVID-19 2nd wave hits the country hard

The ban on sale of oxygen to most industries was notified on April 18, it will come into effect from April 22.

The development comes as India is battling a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and several states are facing severe shortage of oxygen for medical use. [Representative image: Reuters]

Related stories