A Barodian’s first-person account of COVID, uncertainty, and death.

“My 81-year-old grandmother could only partially hear, didn’t have an idea of video calls. She must have thought that we abandoned her in her final breaths”, said the grand-daughter.
This is a family’s account of encountering COVID-19, its on-ground implications, and the harsh reality.

All concessions and assurances from the health department came to naught, as two elderly members from one family lost their lives to COVID-19. In a span of 15 days, chaos ensued for a family residing in Vasna-Bhayli as the virus caught grip.

On March 2, Tuesday, an 81-year-old woman residing in Vasna-Bhayli complained of having breathing issues. The breathing issues intensified, and the family decided it was best to rush to the SSG hospital. After hurrying through the reception, hallways, and lobby of the cramped hospital, she was eventually provided consultation.

As tension grew amongst family members, the first line of action was to test her for COVID. In a worrying series of events, she was claimed to have been COVID-negative in the initial test. It was only a day and a couple of tests later that the doctors accepted that she was COVID-positive. In the coming days, doctors assured the family members that there is no other issue than difficulty in breathing, and hence the patient had to be put up on a ventilator.

A gloomy atmosphere had surrounded the family as there was no proper communication from the hospital regarding the treatments being undertaken. Panic struck the family when the hospital called on Saturday at around 1:30 PM, citing that the condition had deteriorated severely. Neither dialysis worked, nor the ventilator or the oxygen cylinders. In merely two hours after the call, the patient was no more.

Her grand-daughter recalls her time at the hospital, “We could not go see her in the room, but she was provided a phone every evening for an hour, and we could video call her in that time frame. She could only partially hear, and she didn’t have an idea of video calls. We wish that we could have gotten to communicate with her better. She must have thought that we abandoned her in her final breaths.”

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday: It took only five days for the family to lose someone so dear and special.

However, only after three days of losing a loved one, a 54-year-old uncle in the family tested positive for COVID. After being in home quarantine for a couple of days, his health took a turn for the worse. Having dealt with the death of a loved one, he decided that it’s best to get himself admitted to a private hospital.

Private hospitals came to no avail. Firstly, he was rushed to one private hospital in Manjalpur that had no ventilators available. Later, to another private hospital in Sama-Savli that did not have a ventilator available either. Eventually, he was immediately put on a ventilator at the Gotri hospital after being rushed from Sama-Savli.

He was shifted to the general ward after staying for two days at the hospital and coming back to good health. In a sudden turn of events, the doctors called up the family to inform them that his health had sunk miserably. On Sunday, at 10 in the morning, he took his last breath.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: It took only five days for the family to lose someone so dear and special again.

Headlines like “9-6 curfew announced to curb the spread of COVID”, “Health department claims massive boost in the vaccination drive”, “India’s COVID-19 recovery rate among highest in the world”, and “Strict actions for those who do not follow COVID-19 protocols” now look redundant for the grieving woman who recently lost her grandmother and uncle in only a period of 15 days.

In a manner of a plea, she said, “If my experience can impel people to take better precautions and help in saving even a single life, I would happily share it with the world.”

Written By
– Shlok Talati