The administration of Dar Al Amal University Hospital in Baalbek warned on Friday against a shortage of oxygen, hoping for a solution to the dire situation in order to ward off a potential “disaster”.

“The oxygen we have at the hospital is barely enough until four o’clock in the afternoon and will barely meet the needs of around seventy COVID-19 patients being treated here, in addition to patients with other diseases in intensive care units who, in turn, need oxygen,” the hospital said in a statement.

“In light of the dire health situation and a difficulty in securing oxygen and while [hospital] beds are full with patients, we might be compelled, unfortunately, to reduce the beds’ occupancy rate in conformity with the quantities of oxygen that are being secured.”

“Hence, we might have to stop receiving new patients,” it said, adding that “the occupancy rate of COVID-19 beds in the region is almost reaching its maximum limit.”

The hospital also said “the oxygen company we deal with used to fill the hospital’s reservoirs, which accommodate about 7 tons, every two days, but it was late in the last two days despite repeated calls, until it secured one ton at dawn today, and we are still waiting for new quantities to arrive.”

“We hope that the company will be able to cover the shortage of oxygen in order to avoid a disaster.”