In a sad turn of events, seven people died of COVID-19 in a hospital in Jordan due to lack of oxygen when supply ran out. The hospital where the patients were admitted is located approximately 13 miles north of Amman, the capital of Jordan.

The Jordanian health minister got fired due to the incident. It also led to protests across the country.

New York Post reported that the hospital, located in the town of Salt had no oxygen for two hours. People tried to help by bringing in portable devices. Amid the confusion, the hospital started losing patients at the COVID-19 ward.

Reuters reported that Prime Minister Bisher al Khasawneh fired Nathir Obeidat, the country's health minister. There were other reports which stated that he resigned.

Due to the painful manner that the patients died, their relatives, along with protesters, gathered outside the hospital, which necessitated King Abdullah to intervene in order to diffuse the crowd. Thereafter, the King asked the head of the hospital, Abdel Razak al-Khashman to step down. He was reportedly among those detained late Saturday.

"We want to put on trial those responsible for this and then bring down the government," stated Ahmad Hiyari, a demonstrator who was among those who gathered outside the hospital.

The death of the patients soon led to more protests in many other Jordan cities. It also fuelled anger over curfews and lockdowns. There have been more than 5,428 deaths. The coronavirus cases in Jordan leaped to almost 490,000 as of writing.

According to New York Times, many countries all over the world are facing a crisis when it comes to oxygen supply. Egypt, Mexico, and Nigeria are some examples. It also led to an increase in the number of patients who died from the virus.

Lack of Oxygen Lack of Oxygen
The second wave of Covid-19 has seen oxygen supplies run low in several South American countries, and many Peruvian families say their loved ones died because they could not get any. Photo: AFP / ERNESTO BENAVIDES

In Mexico, oxygen prices soared. The black market became replete with sales of oxygen tanks. Reports of criminal groups stealing the tanks also abound.

The death of the seven patients in Jordan was not the first incident recorded. There were already three patients in Egypt who died due to a lack of oxygen because the hospital where they were in also ran out of oxygen.