First, surges in Covid-19 infections led to shortages of hospital beds and staff. Now it's oxygen

[Jilly_in_VA]

Hospitals in parts of the South are running out of oxygen supply as Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations continue soaring, driven by the swaths of people who remain unvaccinated and a dangerous coronavirus variant that has infected millions of Americans.

Several hospitals in Florida, South Carolina, Texas and Louisiana are struggling with oxygen scarcity. Some are at risk of having to use their reserve supply or risk running out of oxygen imminently, according to state health officials and hospital consultants.
With the continued uptick in Covid-19 cases, there has been more demand on the oxygen supply, and hospitals cannot keep up the pace to meet those needs, Donna Cross, senior director of facilities and construction at Premier -- a health care performance improvement company -- told CNN.

"Normally, an oxygen tank would be about 90% full, and the suppliers would let them get down to a refill level of 30-40% left in their tank, giving them a three- to five-day cushion of supply," said Cross. "What's happening now is that hospitals are running down to about 10-20%, which is a one- to two-day supply on hand, before they're getting backfilled."

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/29/health/us-coronavirus-sunday/index.html

[Hugin]

1. REVISED: I was wondering about these reports until I saw the 7 stages post.

Thinking that the mechanical oxygen separators could suffice.

However, at stage TWO with the pressurized oxygen masks at 15 liters to 40 liters per minute there's no way the mechanical devices have the capacity.

Now, I'm wondering why at these rates people aren't spontaneously bursting into flames.

Just get the damn vaccine.

[ProfessorGAC]

3. They're Not Absorbing It

The high concentration of O2, plus the pressure helps to get some adsorption, because otherwise they're deprived.
So, they're exhaling 95% of that oxygen. They're not getting overloaded with O2, though. All of this, just to get them somewhere near normal uptake!
We've all seen the "oxygen in use" signs on hospital room doors.
They have standards for what kind of electrical & electronic equipment can be used.
That oxygen enrichment in the room makes every combustible surface more volatile, even though the oxygen isn't flammable.
The activation energy also falls exponentially as oxygen concentration substantially increases.
Easier to create a fire, easier to sustain a fire.
Nothing to take lightly.

[Hugin]

5. I was looking around for some comparisons after seeing that...

I've seen a few of the home concentrators and their top setting is ~ 10 liters/minute.

Most internal combustion engines require a 1:14 fuel to O2 ratio.

While I was down that rabbit hole, I found this and thought you might find it interesting.

"COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Liquid oxygen (LOX) is in short supply as demand rises with COVID-19 cases in the United States. But as hospitals struggle to figure out how to treat patients, SpaceX worries the shortage could also jeopardize upcoming launches.

With the rapid spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, cases are on the rise as we push through the second year of the pandemic. Hospitals treating COVID-19 patients rely on LOX for ventilator treatments, and with rising numbers, LOX is becoming hard to find."

From: https://www.space.com/spacex-rocket-fuel-liquid-oxygen-shortage-covid-19

[ProfessorGAC]

6. LOL!

I think SpaceX can wait!!!
Keeping people alive & providing quality water seem a touch higher on the priority list!
Good find!!!
Concentrators make around 92% air, and some hospitals still use them. Problem is, at industrial scale, they are LOUD! Not exactly conducive to a hospital setting.
I've been in a few bottled gas plants. (LN, LOX, CO2, etc.). Hearing protection is a must.

[stillcool]

2. I remember reading something about

a state that changed it's water filtration to have access to more oxygen. I don't think it was Florida, but Florida is the first state google gave me.

Residents in Hillsborough County, Florida have been asked to cut back on non-essential water usage like watering lawns and washing cars and warned to expect a “change in taste and odor in drinking water” as dwindling supplies of liquid oxygen, ordinarily used to purify drinking water, are diverted to hospitals using it to treat the state’s record numbers of Covid-19 patients.

Liquid oxygen is used in some water purification processes. DPA/PICTURE ALLIANCE VIA GETTY IMAGES

In a statement Wednesday, Tampa Bay Water said it will start using sodium hypochlorite, commonly known as bleach, to purify its water due to shortages of liquid oxygen.

The regional supplier, which serves some 2.5 million people, normally uses liquid oxygen to make ozone gas and eliminate hydrogen sulphide, a gas which can give the water a brown tinge and strong smell of rotten eggs.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/08/26/florida-county-warns-of-strange-tasting-and-smelling-water-as-scarce-liquid-oxygen-is-diverted-to-covid-patients-in-hospitals/?sh=ed950d37557e

[ProfessorGAC]

4. It Was Florida

They switched to hypochlorite, but that's really not unusual.
The vast majority of municipal water systems, below the size needed for around 100,000 people use hypochlorite.
It still oxidizes H2S, like ozonized liquid oxygen.
It's not a long term solution unless it's followed by treatment with activated carbon to remove any chloro-organics formed. Tiny, tiny amounts but absolutely possible from a chemistry POV.
For really big systems, the capital cost of properly scaled carbon beds is VERY high. Cheaper to use O2, and a spark or uV system to create ozone.
But, at least this switch to "bleach" isn't going to create a water quality risk.
It's actually listed #1 as required water quality treatment in the APHA formulary.
As to your cite, they switched to make oxygen available to health care, and healthcare is running low anyway!