The death of two Covid patients at the Maharaja Government Hospital in Vizianagaram, has turned into a controversy with the opposition claiming that lack of oxygen led to the deaths, and the district administration denying it.

Two persons died and several patients were evacuated from the hospital in the early hours of Monday. Initial reports attributed the deaths to oxygen shortage in the hospital.

Reacting to the development, Telugu Desam supremo and former Andhra Pradesh Chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu charged the YSRCP government of failing to handle the oxygen shortage in the state.

In a statement issued on Monday, Naidu called for the state government to wake up from its slumber and take action against firms indulging in oxygen blackmarketing.

Naidu’s scathing attack against the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led state government came in the wake of two deaths due to alleged disruption in oxygen supply, at the Maharaja Government Hospital at Vizianagaram.

He demanded that the state government come to the aid of the families of the victims.

Meanwhile, Vizianagaram district collector Hari Jawaharlal said, “Doctors denied that oxygen scarcity was behind the death of two Covid patients at the hospital in the early hours of Monday.”

The collector said that measures are being taken to resolve problems encountered with the oxygen pressure in the hospital. He said that of the 290 Covid patients in the hospital, 25 are being provided emergency treatment with oxygen support in the ICU ward.