My understanding is that some hospitals have a central oxygen system, no different from how we are all connected to the water system and water comes out of the tap.
If too many taps were open, nobody would get enough water. Well, too many oxygen taps are open.
Hospitals are running out of oxygen in a way: so much is going through the pipes that the upper floors have low pressure, and the oxygen pipes occasionally freeze from adiabatic expansion. In LA.
You'd think they would test systems like that at maximum consumption.
Mind you, electricity and water systems are also not designed for every outlet to be maxed out. Whomst among us hasn't caused a breaker to trip from having too much stuff on at the same time.
I doubt they tested for the case where they needed oxygen for the patients in the conference rooms and gift shop, either. It’s not like they can order more rooms on AWS; physical infrastructure has a breaking point and LA hospitals hit it.
Honestly wasn’t sure when I wrote it, I’m an atmospheric scientist, not an engineer, so it seems typically adiabatic to me... quite possibly the answer is “both”.
If too many taps were open, nobody would get enough water. Well, too many oxygen taps are open.