Sudanese search for oxygen cylinders as COVID third wave swells – Reuters

Sudanese search for oxygen cylinders as COVID third wave swells – Reuters

Sudan is struggling to provide hospital beds, drugs and medical oxygen to COVID-19 patients hit by a third wave of infections that is straining the country's patchy healthcare system beyond what it can cope with.

With a population of over 40 million, Sudan has recorded 33,000 cases and over 2,600 deaths since the start of the pandemic, but officials say the real numbers are likely to be much higher given low rates of testing.

In recent weeks, an acute shortage of oxygen, partly due to power cuts that impeded production at the country's main plant, has left hospitals unable to provide adequate care to desperately ill COVID patients.