Buyers check available medical oxygen tanks on sale in a supply store in Manila. PHOTO

MANILA – High demand for oxygen tanks has prompted the Department of Health (DOH) to explore ways to maintain its supply as COVID-19 cases in the country increase.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said they are consulting experts on how to efficiently maintain oxygen supply, which is a vital part of COVID-19 care in medical facilities, especially hospitals.

An innovation they are looking at is a suggestion for a “one source” oxygen tank which could be connected to multiple COVID-19 patients.

Vergeire also shunned the need for oxygen stations that India has implemented after it went through a COVID-19 health care crisis earlier in the year due to the fast-spreading Delta variant.

“Sa ngayon, hindi pa natin ‘yan tinitingnang plano pa for our hospitals and even in the community. Atin pong pinapalawak ang atin pong pagpo-provide ng assistance and hospitals should be able to have sufficient supply for this,” Vergeire said.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, for his part, urged the public not to hoard oxygen tanks at home and instead let the supply circulate to prevent an artificial shortage.

“Nananawagan ako sa ating mga kababayan na huwag kayong mag-hoard ng mga oxygen, unless meron kayong prescription ng mga doktor. Hayaan niyo po ‘yung mga tangke umikot, hindi pwedeng nakaistasyon sa bahay ninyo ang mga tangke. Kailangan po may sirkulasyon ang mga tangke na tuloy-tuloy,” said Duque.

(I appeal to the public not hoard oxygen (tanks) unless you have prescription from your doctor. Let the tanks circulate. It needs to continue circulating.)

Duque said there is no shortage in the supply of medical grade oxygen, based on his discussions with Trade Secretary Mon Lopez whom he said always gets in touch with oxygen manufacturing companies.

“Ang sinasabi nila nung huli kaming nag-usap kung 203 tons of oxygen per day ang nagagamit, kaya nilang triplehin o kaya nilang gawing 605 tonnage per day ang isu-supply nila,” Duque said.

(Based on our last conversation if our oxygen consumption is 203 tons per day, they can triple or double it, make the supply 605 tonnage per day.)

Manufacturers, Duque said, can also repurpose industrial grade oxygen into medical grade oxygen. He said he is also waiting for the import of additional tanks.

“’Yung oxygen meron, pero baka sa tangke magka-problema. Kailangang dagdagan ang mga tangke at sabi sa akin mga 20,000 hanggang 30,000 tangke ang aangkatin. ‘Yan ang ating napagkasunduan,” he said.

(We have oxygen but we may have a problem with the tanks. We need additional tanks and I was told that we will be importing 20,000 to 30,000 tanks. We agreed on that.)

Government is reportedly studying how to regulate the sale of oxygen tanks in preparation for a surge in COVID-19 cases that could possibly overwhelm the country’s health care system.

India, where the Delta COVID-19 variant was first detected, bore the brunt of the more transmissible strain as hospitals went full and oxygen tanks were depleted.

Indonesia also went through the same, with the Philippines donating some supplies of oxygen when the neighboring country went through an outbreak in the middle of June.

Local health authorities earlier reiterated that there is sufficient supply of oxygen tanks, as they expect demand to rise with the increase in COVID-19 cases.

The DOH is also willing to provide assistance to health care facilities who have run out of oxygen supply.

Earlier, the Food and Drug Administration warned against storing oxygen tanks at home, saying these are more combustible than LPG tanks.