Each day I give thanks for my many privileges – my family, my home, access to resources, the fact that I can continue to work from home and can get delivered practically anything I need. I am safe because I am privileged. For most Indians this is not true; the situation is in fact truly grim. In these dark times, we look for ways to lift the spirits; for stories that uplift rather than depress. A couple of recent news stories do this:
This is the village of Chikhalar in Madhya Pradesh that has registered no COVID cases so far. It is making national headlines for this at a time when other places are reeling under the onslaught of the pandemic. According to reports, the village women are responsible for this.
Armed with sticks, these women guard the villages to ensure a complete lockdown. Outsiders are not permitted in the village. These rather determined-looking women, a bamboo barricade around the village and a sign saying that outsiders are prohibited have ensured that the village has resisted infections from the coronavirus. A state highway that passes close to the village is also monitored. People in the village are behaving responsibly and not going out. And what about activities that require a person to go out? A couple of village youth have been assigned that job to ensure that the village remains healthy and secure.
Though old age and co-morbidities are seen to increase risk of the coronavirus infection and poor outcomes, this second wave has been less predictable in its behaviour. In recent times we have seen that even younger people are getting infected and dying from the disease. There is however a happier story emerging from Tanda village of Latur in Maharashtra. Here a 105-year-old man and his 95-year-old wife contracted COVID 19 and recovered from it.
The elderly couple were admitted to the Vilasrao Deshmukh Institute of Medical Sciences when they tested positive along with three children in the family. Given their age and the fact that they had to be admitted to the ICU, their family was not too hopeful of their recovery. However, after nine days of battling the disease with symptoms such as high fever and abdominal pain, the duo recovered and returned home. The two were treated with Remdesivir injections and given oxygen support while in hospital.
Positive stories about civil society coming to the fore and ordinary people helping and looking out for each other in the face of dysfunctional government machinery are also all around us. People are supplying food to the elderly neighbours are helping and running errands for the sick and elderly. Others are donating money and rations for the less privileged. Social media is helping to create lines of communication for those in need of medical aid, hospital beds and other support.
Meanwhile wearing a good quality mask – or rather masks (experts recommend double masking using a cloth mask along with a knotted surgical mask), distancing and hand-washing continue to be the best defence against the infection. Doctors also recommend early testing and timely treatment to improve outcomes of infected individuals.
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