“In the first wave of the #COVID19, very few children were infected with Coronavirus, but the virus has shown mutations and it can pose a serious risk for children,” DS Rawat, a pediatrician, and chair of the Uttarakhand Medical Services Selection Board.
“The government or the health department hasn’t issued any SOPs (standard operating procedure) when it comes to protecting children from the #COVID19 infection,” Anoop Nautiyal, founder, Social Development of Communities, Dehradun #Uttarakhand.
People along the west coast of India are slowly picking up pieces of their lives scattered & shattered by #CycloneTaukte.
Exactly a year ago, on May 20, #CycloneAmphan had hit the Sundarbans. People are still displaced.
Sabita Rani’s last memory of her home was the clock on the wall which told her it was 6 pm. It was on the evening of May 20, 2020, that her home in Hajatkhali village was swept away in the fury of #CycloneAmphan. A year on, she is still displaced.
Khulna, Satkhira & Bagerhat dists on the southwest coast of Bangladesh were the hardest hit by #Cyclone Amphan. About 500,000 people were affected. There are lingering signs of devastation. Villages lie in ruins. Many continue to live on embankments.
“I have been digging graves for thirty years and have never seen this number of dead in such a short span of time. Even after spending hours digging graves all day, there are still more graves to be dug," 54yo Munna.
“Ever since COVID, I have been digging graves almost non stop. There are days when I have dug ten graves in a row. I want to give it all up, but I can’t refuse the relatives of the dead who beg me to dig a grave," Munna, a gravedigger. #Corona2ndWave
Sushma was only 11yo when she was married off to 15yo Santosh, whose traditional occupation was 'panda', a priest who performs the last rites prayers. By the age of 26, Sushma was widowed.
She became a पंडा, something restricted only to men
#CycloneTaukte has left behind a trail of destruction on the western coast of India. 24 people reportedly dead, several fishers missing, fishing boats badly damaged.
“We were alerted by the weather dept that a cyclone will hit Mumbai around May 15. So, we had parked our boats in safe areas. But still, boats destroyed... In the Madh port alone, 25-30 boats have been damaged... some fishermen missing." #Tauktae
“In Gujarat’s Saurashtra alone, the fishing community has suffered a loss of an estimated seventy crore rupees (Rs 700 million) due to the cyclone,” Usmangani Shersiya, secretary, National Fishworkers' Forum .
The Ganga ghat in Unnao, UP, has dead bodies buried right up till the edge of the river. In 'normal' times, 25 bodies used to come a day for cremation, but now jumped to over 300, claim local residents.
As far as the eye can see are shrouds, in shades of red. They mark the makeshift graves of people recently buried. Almost every few yards are unmarked graves. Some partially dug up by dogs.
“Since the second wave of the mahamari , 300 to 400 dead bodies a day have been arriving at this ghat. Even today, there are nearly 150 bodies waiting for their last rites.”
@GaonConnection's ground report from the Ganga ghat in Unnao, UP
Titauli village in Rohtak, Haryana had 40 deaths in the past 10 days, said Suresh Singh, a resident. But CMO said only 5 deaths in the village. Similar stories from other villages. Are #COVID19 deaths being underreported, @divendrasingh tries to find out
“We lost 16 people in a week to ten days. None of them had got themselves tested and all of them had cold and fever. Today, (May 10) a team has come to the village and people are being tested."
“Every death is being attributed to #coronavirus. If the elderly are dying, that is also being reported as death due to coronavirus,” Rajesh Kumar, Chief Medical and Health Officer, Sirohi district, Rajasthan.