NEW DELHI, April 27 (Xinhua) - In wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals across India have been reporting a shortage of oxygen supply. People with empty oxygen cylinders wait in line in front of refilling facilities to refill the cylinders, as they scrambled to save COVID-19 patients.

According to an official statement issued by the prime minister office Sunday many as 551 new medical oxygen generation plants would be set up across India in a bid to address the shortage of oxygen amid the COVID-19 surge.

India on Monday morning reported the world's biggest-ever daily surge of COVID-19 cases with 352,991 new cases and 2,812 related deaths in the past 24 hours.

[caption id="attachment_57333" align="alignnone" width="900"] A worker arranges oxygen cylinders after they got filled at a small plant amid acute shortage of medical oxygen in New Delhi, India, on April 25, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_57334" align="alignnone" width="899"] People wait to get empty oxygen cylinders filled at a small plant amid acute shortage of medical oxygen in New Delhi, India, on April 25, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_57335" align="alignnone" width="900"] People wait in line to refill empty medical oxygen cylinders for COVID-19 patients in front of a shop in New Delhi, India, April 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Partha Sarkar)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_57336" align="alignnone" width="900"] People wait in line to refill empty medical oxygen cylinders for COVID-19 patients in front of a shop in New Delhi, India, April 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Partha Sarkar)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_57337" align="alignnone" width="900"] A man lifts a refilled medical oxygen cylinder for COVID-19 patients in front of a shop in New Delhi, India, April 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Partha Sarkar)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_57338" align="alignnone" width="900"] A worker fills oxygen cylinders to supply to hospitals for COVID-19 patients in the outskirts of Agartala, the capital city of India's northeastern state of Tripura, April 26, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_57339" align="alignnone" width="900"] A worker carries oxygen cylinders for COVID-19 patients in the outskirts of Agartala, the capital city of India's northeastern state of Tripura, April 26, 2021. (Str/Xinhua) ■[/caption]