Free oxygen distribution for COVID-19 patients is being carried out by charitable organizations in Mandalay and difficulty to buy oxygen from oxygen plants is making it difficult for charitable organizations to distribute free oxygen on a daily basis, according to charities.

There are many charities in Mandalay including Pale charitable organization which donates oxygen most and the Pale charitable organization cannot give free oxygen to the public as it is difficult to buy oxygen on July 22, wrote a monk who is leading the organization on his Facebook page. Moreover some of the charities cannot distribute oxygen to the public.

“When oxygen is bought from factories, it can only be bought at a quota that they can sell. We buy as much as we can from each factory and distribute it to the public. In factories, even if you buy from the association's offices, you have to show a letter with the association's logo and the signature of the association leader. Therefore, depending on the purchase of oxygen, the team has to redistribute it at the rate of one cylinder per person,” said a person from Chanmya Thukha social welfare association.

There are four oxygen production plants in Mandalay, and some of them come from nearby cities to buy oxygen, and it is difficult to get enough oxygen to supply it.

Currently, the number of COVID-19 cases in Mandalay is high, and the number of deaths due to lack of oxygen and shortness of breath in the neighborhood is higher than before, according to aid groups.

Moreover, some asked for help for medicines and food in social media and some asked for help by raising yellow flags in their homes.