Bad News, Increasing COVID-19 Patients In Bogor City Make Oxygen Gas Rare

The Oxygen Gas Depot on Lawanggintung street, Bogor City, serves oxygen gas refills for small-sized cylinders (Riza H/Antara)

JAKARTA - The city of Bogor is experiencing a shortage of oxygen gas following the increase in positive COVID-19 patients who need oxygen gas to help breathing.

From several oxygen gas depots in Bogor City, such as Otista street, Kebon Pedes street, Semplak street, and Lawanggintung street, the supply from gas agents in Jakarta is reduced.

The owner of an oxygen gas depot on Lawanggintung street, South Bogor, Bogor City, Sunday, July 4, Indri, said that the scarcity of oxygen gas in Bogor City has occurred since the past week.

Indri said that usually, her depot sells oxygen gas at an average of around 180 m3 per day, namely 30 large tubes with a capacity of 6 m3 or with smaller tubes with a capacity of 2 m3.

However, since the last week, the supply of oxygen gas from her agent in Manggarai Jakarta has decreased, so the sales volume has also decreased.

"Usually we are supplied with oxygen gas of around 25-30 large gas cylinders measuring 6 m3, but since the last week the supply has decreased to around 10 large gas cylinders measuring 6 m3," she said as quoted by Antara, Monday, July 5.

According to Indri, the limited supply of gas is prioritized for individual needs and hospitals, while welding workshops and project work will be temporarily suspended. "Individual needs are usually used to help the breathing of COVID-19 patients," she said.

She explained, from about 10 large gas cylinders measuring 6 m3 or 60 m3, they were divided into small cylinders to serve the community who refilled oxygen gas in small cylinders, namely 2 m3, 1.5 m3, and 1 m3, for individual needs.

Refill oxygen gas for cylinders measuring 2 m3 Rp55,000, 1.5 m3 cylinders Rp45,000, and 1 m3 cylinders Rp35,000.

"There are a lot of buyers, but because the stock is limited, we serve who buys first. Only for a moment, the sales have run out," she said.

Indri said, there were even employees from the hospital who also looked for oxygen gas to the depot, because the demand at the hospital was reduced.