Medicine, oxygen and other supplies are brokered online or in hushed phone calls and in many cases, the sellers prey on the desperation and grief of families
Police tape hangs at a New Delhi restaurant on May 8, 2021, where officials said oxygen concentrators, which are used to treat Covid-19 patients, were being stored. Businessmen associated with the restaurants were accused of hoarding them and selling them at steep prices. (Atul Loke/The New York Times)
NEW DELHI — Within the world’s worst coronavirus outbreak, few treasures are more coveted than an empty oxygen canister. India’s hospitals desperately need the metal cylinders to store and transport the lifesaving gas as patients across the country gasp for breath.
©2019 New York Times News Service