India is slowly coming out of one of the world’s toughest lockdowns put in place to fight the spread of coronavirus, a disease that has caused a reported 257,000 infections and more than 7,200 deaths here. From doctors receiving thunderous applause, to migrants taking the arduous journey home and losing their lives in the process, India’s battle with COVID-19 has seen some defining moments that have led us to present day. Here’s a look at some of those stories:
Hours Before Giving Birth Virologist Minal Dakhave Bhosale Gave India Its First COVID Testing KitWhen India was being criticised for its poor rate of testing people with COVID-19 symptoms, Pune vir… Read More
When India was being criticised for its poor rate of testing people with COVID-19 symptoms, Pune virologist Minal Dakhave Bhosale came to the rescue and contributed towards a crucial benchmark in India’s fight against coronavirus by giving the country its first testing kit. Bhosale, along with her team at Mylab Discovery, in the western city of Pune, successfully designed the coronavirus testing kit called Patho Detect.
Mylab Discovery, in the western city of Pune, turned out to be the first Indian firm to get full approval to make and sell testing kits.
Read LessKolkata Girl Offered Rent-Free Flats To Help Doctors And Nurses Fighting COVID-19When Suchana Saha, a final-year student at Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata, he… Read More
When Suchana Saha, a final-year student at Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata, heard about instances where people were ostracising doctors and nurses for handling infected patients,
she was left heartbroken.
After learning that many frontline doctors were being kicked out of their rented accommodations by owners over fears that they’ll spread the disease, she knew she had to do something. Determined to help these professionals, Saha convinced her businessman father to rent out their two empty flats in Kolkata so the doctors and nurses could stay there rent-free and without worry.
Read LessPregnant Nurse Travelled 250 Km To Treat COVID-19 PatientsIn the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, medical professional across the globe have put their lives … Read More
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, medical professional across the globe have put their lives at risk to help those in need. In one such instance of dedication and despite the threat of contracting the deadly disease, a 25-year-old nurse named S Vinothini who was eight months pregnant at the time, reportedly travelled 250 kilometres from Tiruchy to Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu, to help treat COVID-19 patients.
Read LessWhen Air India Turned Saviour And Evacuated Indians Stuck OverseasAmid the novel pandemic coronavirus outbreak, our national airline Air India turned saviour for thos… Read More
Amid the novel pandemic coronavirus outbreak, our national airline Air India turned saviour for those who were stuck overseas. The airline reportedly operated special flights to evacuate Indians from places like Wuhan in China and Rome in Italy, two countries that were at the beginning the worst-hit by coronavirus.
The Centre had issued a statement that no international flights would be allowed in the country during the nationwide lockdown. However, Air India was still on duty, trying to rescue Indian citizens stuck in foreign lands.
Air India reportedly brought back 263 students from Rome in their Boeing 777 ER aircraft which landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. They also sent a flight to Milan to evacuate 230 stranded Indian nationals.
Read LessDue To Lack Of Protective Gear, Doctors And Nurses Were Forced To Use Helmets And Raincoats To Avoid Getting InfectedDoctors and nurses have saved thousands of lives and some, unfortunately, even lost their own. Witho… Read More
Doctors and nurses have saved thousands of lives and some, unfortunately, even lost their own. Without them fighting day and night, the world wouldn’t know what to do to save itself from the deadly virus. And what probably makes this worse, is when healthcare professionals don’t get the right equipment to do their work. According to reports, medical officials had no choice but to use helmets and raincoats in order to avoid getting infected. Reportedly, in Beleghata Infectious Disease Hospital in Kolkata, the doctors were provided with plastic raincoats to cover themselves while treating the patients.
Instances such as these have exposed the sad state of the healthcare system in the country.
Read Less’Covidiots’ Who Celebrated #9Minutes9PM With Fireworks Set A Thatched House On Fire In JaipurPM Modi had called for a nine-minute candlelight vigil on April 5 as a means to dispel the darkness … Read More
PM Modi had called for a nine-minute candlelight vigil on April 5 as a means to dispel the darkness spread by the coronavirus pandemic. Millions of Indians switched off lights in their homes and lit diyas and candles to spread the message. But ‘Covidots’ once again crossed the line and turned this event into ‘mini Diwali’ by using firecrackers. Not surprisingly, a thatched house on a vacant plot of land caught fire in the Vaishali Nagar area in Jaipur, claim reports. And while firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control in time, it’s anyone’s guess how things could have gone terribly wrong.
Read LessTo Fight COVID, Karnataka Researchers Upcycled Old Refrigerator To Create Disinfection ChamberAn old refrigerator at National Institute of Technology Karnataka, was turned into a 'disinfection c… Read More
An old refrigerator at National Institute of Technology Karnataka, was turned into a ‘disinfection chamber‘ by researchers working hard to come up with solutions to tackle the spread of coronavirus.
The researchers claimed that the chamber was made out of an old refrigerator and used UV-C radiation with a wavelength of 254 nanometres that could destroy or inactivate all surface contamination — bacteria and viruses up to 99.9 %, including novel coronavirus.
Read LessMahindra Group Opened 10 Kitchens To Prepare Meals For The NeedyAt a time when migrant workers were struggling to get home and were starving due to unavailability o… Read More
At a time when migrant workers were struggling to get home and were starving due to unavailability of resources, Mahindra and Mahindra group reportedly set up 10 kitchens in different locations so no one had to stay hungry.
Not only that. Back in March, Mr Anand Mahindra had said that he wanted to help manufacture ventilators and provide temporary medical facilities for those affected by the virus. He had also stated that he would be contributing 100% of his salary to those in need.
Read LessWhen Tamil Nadu Cops Taught Lockdown Violators A Lesson & Put Them In An Ambulance With A ‘Fake’ COVID-19 PatientWhen the lockdown was out into effect, there were some who continued to break the rules. In such a s… Read More
When the lockdown was out into effect, there were some who continued to break the rules. In such a situation, the cops were forced to use severe methods of punishment from lathi charge to making rule-breakers do sit-ups.
In Tamil Nadu’s Tirupur district, cops stationed at a checkpoint in the city, came up with a quirky idea to teach lockdown violators a lesson. In a video that went viral, the cops could be seen putting lockdown violators in an ambulance with a fake coronavirus patient in a bid to teach them a lesson they’d never forget.Read LessHow Sonu Sood And Other Celebrities Came To The Rescue Of MigrantsSince the lockdown began, many disturbing images and reports of millions of migrants leaving for the… Read MoreSince the lockdown began, many disturbing images and reports of millions of migrants leaving for their native places on foot have emerged. Their pain is unimaginable. While the government is finally making some efforts to provide transportation facilities to them, they are still stranded in large numbers with no food, money and a roof. There are some some celebrities like Sonu Sood, Salman Khan, Vikas Khanna, Swara Bhaskar and many more are helping the migrant workers during the lockdown. More recently, Sonu Sood sent 180 migrants home on a chartered flight. Read Less