Brazil's Solicitor General said Tuesday that federal and local officials were aware of a looming oxygen shortage a week before a crisis struck.

The shortage of oxygen supply in the city of Manaus in the Amazonas state has brought its healthcare system to its knees and resulted in several preventable fatalities. Nurses in the city told reporters that some patients have already died of asphyxiation because they had no oxygen to give them.

The Brazilian government has come under sharp criticism for allowing the shortage to happen. Last week, the country's Supreme Court had ordered officials to present a viable response to resolve the shortage.

On Sunday, the Solicitor General of Jair Bolsonaro administration, José Levi do Amaral, published a 16-page report that disclosed how the federal health ministry was aware of the looming crisis six days before the situation became critical.

"The Health Ministry...became aware on (January) 8th through an e-mail sent by the product manufacturer," the report read.

Amaral said that the Manaus health department had known the city's healthcare system was already on the verge of collapse since the start of the year. The report said that the local government should have informed federal authorities of their predicament instead of relying on the private contractor.

The Amazonas state government said that it has already taken steps to help mitigate the crisis. This includes the transport of oxygen from other states, the transfer of patients to hospitals outside of the city, and the installation of oxygen production devices.

Brazil's general prosecutor, Augusto Aras, has ordered the launch of an investigation into why Manaus' health system had collapsed and to find out who was responsible for letting it happen in the first place. Aras said that investigators will be looking into the possible negligence of some state and city officials.

Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello said Monday that his agency had taken immediate action in response to the crisis. Pazeullo claimed that there was no indication of a supply shortage and that the crisis was caused by the sharp rise in coronavirus cases over the past weeks.