In the last few days, following the shortage of beds, oxygen, the drug remdesivir and plasma, several social media platforms including Twitter and WhatsApp are flooded with specific requests from Covid patients, their relatives and friends in the national Capital. Displaying a humane face several people have also come forward on social media platforms to help them within a short span of time.
Frantic posts on these social media reveals the scale of Delhi’s Covid crisis as people plead for everything from hospital beds to medicines, CT scans, oxygen, space at crematorium and even food for the elderly in quarantine.
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Telegram are all inundated with messages from distraught family members and friends begging for help.
The desperate pleas, hoping someone will respond with a speedy remedy, offer a peek into the unfolding tragedy buffeting the National Capital.
Sharad Gupta, a twitter user and a resident of Tri Nagar in Delhi wrote on Twitter, “My sister, her husband, and mother in law are very serious, they are not getting any beds or oxygen.”
Even hospitals in Delhi also took to Twitter and Apollo hospital on Saturday wrote that “SOS Call from Apollo Hospital in Delhi. 400 patients on oxygen support, Only two hours of Oxygen supply left in the hospital.”
The crisis of oxygen or beds is not limited to the National Capital, even in the neighbouring Gurugram, the Max Healthcare tweeted on Saturday “SOS - Less than 2 hour's Oxygen supplies at Max Hospital Gurugram and attached Dedicated Covid Centre. Over 70 covid pts admitted across. Supplies expected at 10am diverted, need urgent help Folded hands”
Several groups, which were formed recently following the crisis, have also come forward to help the needy. Arun Bothra, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, has established a pan-India network of volunteers. Called India Cares, the group has also been helping people out since last year’s lockdown, when it had assisted people in getting food and medicines.
A senior journalist, who was in need of the medicine, took to twitter and wrote on Saturday that “Spent the morning looking for dexamethasone 6 mg tablets in Delhi. This is a steroid recommended by the WHO for severe Covid patients. Two doctors have prescribed it for someone I love. I can’t find it And they say India is the pharmacy of the world.”
The volunteer of India Cares provided the medicines to her and later on thanked its volunteer Chandrajeet Kumar for arranging and delivering medicines to her.
Janice Sequeira, an anchor, took to twitter and wrote “Guys #Urgent Looking for an #OxygenBed in #Dwarka #Delhi. Patient has already lost her husband. Family is desperately searching for a hospital bed!”
She was replied by several people who shared details of vacant beds in Delhi’s Hospital. There were several netizens too who even shared details of beds availability in the hospitals across the city and even those who needed oxygen cylinders were provided by the list of contacts.