Following the recent spike in Coronavirus (COVID-19) infections across Nigeria, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has directed the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Liquid Oxygen (LOX) Plant at the 103 Strike Group (103 STG), Yola to scale up the production of LOX for distribution to COVID-19 Management Centres.
NAF Spokesperson, Air Vice Marshal Ibikunle Daramola, said in a statement on Thursday that in compliance with this directive, NAF on Wednesday distributed 117 cylinders of LOX to two COVID-19 Management Centres in Abuja.
The beneficiary Centres are the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwawalada and the Department of State Services (DSS) Medical Centre, Asokoro.
Commissioned on 10 July 2017, the 103 STG LOX Plant Yola has the capacity to produce 1,000 litres of LOX every 8 hours, which is in excess of the NAF’s requirements for its air operations and for use in its Medical Centres across the Nation.
Air Vice Marshal Daramola said that “the LOX Plant has since the outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic, been producing clinical oxygen for distribution to COVID-19 Management Centres and designated Hospitals, as part of measures to support the management of serious COVID-19 cases.
“The CAS has assured that the NAF will sustain the free provision of LOX, in addition to airlift missions, in continued support of the Government’s efforts towards combating the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
