In response to the recent spike in COVID-19 infections across the Country, the 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.
In compliance with this directive, the Service, yesterday, 16 December 2020, 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.
Hence, 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.