It’s the second wave of the pandemic in India. Delhi, where we live, is one of the worst hit areas. These last few months, things seemed to be getting back to normal. We heard of many people who recovered from COVID-19 and vaccinations were being rolled out. People were going out more, meeting each other again, businesses were recovering.
Beginning May 1, younger people will also be eligible for the vaccine. That’s a relief, but the idea of visiting the hospital to get it with so many people there having COVID is kinda scary.
In the past two weeks, so many people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Delhi and other parts of India. The hospitals are full, crowded with COVID-positive patients, and many of them are running low on oxygen supply, something many COVID-19 patients need. There are also long lines of people taking the test, wearing masks, coughing, sneezing. Around 30% of people who take the test are positive.
Many people have to go to at least several hospitals and wait for hours before they get a bed. Everyday we get messages of someone needing blood. But going out poses such a risk and honestly, most people (including us) would only take the risk for someoene close to us.
We have heard of so many people passing away, even young, healthy people who contracted COVID-19. Bodies are being cremated on the side of the road because there are just too many for the crematoriums to handle. It’s a really sad situation.
Many people are also having the regular flu and allergies due to the change of weather and the recurring dust storms that happen around this time of the year. When tested for COVID-19, they test negative. But apparently this strain of the virus can also give you a false negative on the test.
Doctors advise that, unless your blood oxygen levels drop and you have serious symptoms, not to visit the hospital, a medical lab or to even get out of our homes. Delhi has been on a strict lockdown, with only essential businesses allowed to operate, until Monday, 3 May.
This is much worse than the first wave that hit last year. There are more deaths now than before. The COVID virus strain that is currently proliferating in India is said to have a double mutation from the original virus.
So far, Anugrah, my mother-in-law and I are ok, getting by. It’s eerie outside, hardly anyone is out, hardly anyone is even sitting in their balconies as is usually the case.
It’s a beautiful day out, because no one is out and there’s a lot less human activity. There’s less pollution in the air, and the summer heat is suddenly not oppressive.
But it seems like everyone knows someone who is battling COVID right now.
Last year, when the lockdown started, so many people were like, “oh I need to learn to bake bread, cakes, etc. We can’t get anything from outside because it might be contaminated.” There was like, almost a craze that was happening. People had more time on their hands as well, and many put it toward their hobbies. Now it seems so much more solemn, more dire, more serious, scarier.
We were so worried last year, of what we didn’t know and understand about the virus. So many of us were scared to buy any ready made food from outside. This year, we seem to be less fearful of that. But we are also weary of this pandemic, and scared. We thought we were past this, but we are not.
For those of you who are not in India, this strain of the COVID-19 virus has already been exported to other countries in the past few weeks.
Do not wait for this situation to happen in your country. Get the vaccine if you can.
Keep safe and stay home. Let us hope for the best.
Pandemic Diaries
Day 410
