Minister of Health Christopher Tufton on Monday (August 30) confirmed that the much needed supplies of oxygen had arrived in Jamaica early this morning.

Tufton shared that the life-saving gas had already began to be dispersed through the hospital network; with stock at health facilities like Kingston Public Hospital already having been replenished.

“Because the quantities run out quickly, a big part of it is importation, getting it from the sources around the world because everybody has a demand issue. But I can say that we’re passed the worst now at least for the time being,” Tufton said.

Over the weekend the Ministry of Health and Wellness had confirmed that most hospitals were low in supply and some were out of oxygen.

The ministry, at the time, had said that hospitals had been instructed to conserve the gas, while the island awaits the restoration of supplies.

According to the ministry, oxygen is a vital part of the tools necessary to treat those described as critically ill in hospital.