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Sad Update: After fighting COVID and other complications, my dad passed away peacefully yesterday afternoon. A man who loved people had to die with strangers, away from his loved ones. The last we talked to him was when he was taken to COVID ward.
#COVID19 #pune
1/ https://twitter.com/asuph/status/1376765428022665224
#COVID19 #pune
1/ https://twitter.com/asuph/status/1376765428022665224
He had never stayed in the hospital and never been alone his whole life. And we were worried how he will feel. But his condition was such that he didn't really understand it (and I hope he never did). The last time we "saw" him alive was when he was sleeping in the ICU ...
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and a kind soul who was there to take test samples called us on video. He was sleeping and did not respond when we called his name. This is the worst part of this pandemic -- it denies you closure. I got a glimpse of him as he was loaded into the hearse.
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I have been dreading of this since this pandemic started, and yet when it happened, I was totally unprepared. Especially of what awaits you when your dear one has departed. The protocol for COVID deaths is (rightfully) very different.
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You do not get the body. The hospital directly contacts the municipal corporation department of the death, and it's the corporation body that sends an ambulance to pick up the body to take it for cremation. You can follow the ambulance, and watch everything from a distance.
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Another twist was that the cremation ground that the hospital had booked him for did not have capacity. In Pune, we learned, there are 8-9 places that can cremate COVID patients. The ambulance driver told me that many of them have long queues.
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He called up a few and found one place where they were ready to take it. Even there the electrical cremation had a waiting list with bodies kept in the freezer, with one spot in the freezer available. When we reached there we were told the wait time was three hours.
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There was an option of wood pyre (expensive, but with no waiting list) and we took it. I'm not a religious man and do not care about rituals and stuff, and even for me, it was an ordeal. For a usual religious family, I cannot even imagine what it will mean, going through it!
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As someone who has seen it on the ground, and seen my deepest fears turn into reality, and reality surpassing them, I want to repeat my heartfelt plea: please take this thing seriously. This is not how you want to lose your loved ones. We were extra careful, and still ...
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we could not escape it. But the only thing we can do, is to try and be safe -- try and cut down the risk, take vaccines when eligible, maintain discipline even after. Especially if your job allows remote work, there is no need to be anywhere else right now. Lockdown or not!
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#BreakTheChain. Take care. I don't want to spoil your evening, or your morning, with this sordid story. But this is the reality on the ground. A patient -- COVID/non-COVID is way less likely to get the best treatment right now given how loaded hospitals are. So be safe!
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