Orlando officials have asked residents to reduce their water consumption during liquid oxygen shortages.
As COVID-19 infections rise, liquid oxygen supply is diverted to hospitals in order to treat COVID-19 victims.
Liquid oxygen can also be used to treat water supplies, which could affect the quality of city water.
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Orlando officials have asked residents to cut down on their water consumption as part of efforts to divert liquid oxygen to hospitals for COVID-19 victims.
Due to the rapid spread of the Delta variant, liquid oxygen has been in great demand. The state has reported slightly more than 150,000 cases as of Friday. This puts it above the 3 million coronavirus cases.
Orlando Utilities Commission uses liquid oxy to remove hydrogen sulfide from water for drinking.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer stated that the demand for liquid oxygen was extremely high because it is essential to save lives and treat critically ill patients. There are some impacts on the OUC's normal supply.
Dyer said, "Our hospitals are seeing the highest number unvaccinated critically ill patients at the moment than any other time during the pandemic." Many of these patients need liquid oxygen.
Dyer and OUC asked residents to cut down on their water use, including not watering their lawns or washing their cars.
Linda Ferrone, OUC Chief Customers and Marketing Officer said that if we cannot reduce water demand, hospitals will continue to need water and there is limited supply, OUC water quality could be affected. We believe that this will not occur if everyone does their bit to conserve water.
Dyer says the "extremely high demand for" and lack of liquid oxygen are a result of Florida Governor. Ron DeSantis is continuing to fight for vaccine mandates and mask mandates. Florida has one of the highest rates of coronavirus infections in the country. This is due to its low vaccination rates.
According to data from the Orange County government, approximately 65% of Orange County residents were vaccinated. The total number of confirmed cases in Orange County is close to 200,000 as of Thursday. Dyer said that the low vaccination rates could have had an impact on the city’s water quality.
The mayor stated that "it's another result of the situation when residents don't get vaccinated."
