| After a new coronavirus variant unleashed a brutal wave of infections in India, taking thousands of lives and sending millions to overcrowded and poorly equipped hospitals, demand has shot up for little known machines that separate oxygen from air and assist patients with low levels of the critical element in their blood.
The demand for oxygen concentrators is felt all the way around the world, including in the small Swiss town of Wil, where Raphael Koch, a retailer of medical devices, has spent the past few weeks fielding a flurry of phone calls. Most are from Indians or India-based companies looking for oxygen concentrators, with some even wanting as many as 500 at once. But Koch's Oxymed store barely has any stock left of the device, and he isn't expecting fresh supplies from manufacturers at least until mid-June. "They're desperate," he said, referring to the callers he's been speaking to lately. "They tell me about relatives dying on the streets, that there's no space in the hospitals and that the few oxygen concentrators that are still available are being sold for up to 10 times the normal price."
India has slid into the world's worst health crisis. One research model is predicting deaths could rise to 1,018,879 by the end of July, up from Thursday's official count of 287,122. Just as some countries needed ventilators in large quantities last year, India is now desperately seeking oxygen supplies and concentrators.  Patients in a Covid-19 care center in India. Photographer: SOPA Images/LightRocket To be sure, oxygen concentrators are useful only to those who don't require intensive care. The machines deliver about five to 10 liters (2.6 gallons) of the gas per minute, typically at about 93% purity, whereas those fighting Covid in hospitals may need as much as 60 liters per minute, which can be met only by liquid-oxygen tanks.
But when health-care facilities are running short of oxygen tanks and beds, the portable machine is increasingly becoming a line of defense for those seeking to avert breathing difficulties while recuperating at home. Distraught families are looking to source the gadget—which could set some back by as much as $1,000, or about half of India's per capita gross domestic product—from wherever they can. The cost is an additional burden for some Indians who face shrinking incomes after losing businesses and jobs to lockdowns. A study by Pew Research Center showed an estimated 75 million people slipped into poverty in India since the outbreak began. Demand for oxygen concentrators is only likely to surge further as home care and government-run facilities add more beds and hotels get converted into Covid care centers. "The next big worry is that the pandemic is clearly seen moving to semi-urban and rural areas," Abhinav Mathur, founder of the Million Sparks Foundation, said. "The government should start to plan for improving the availability of oxygen in these areas to be ready to respond."—Corinne Gretler | 
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