Team Herald
PANJIM: At around 1.06am on Wednesday, Shruti Chaturvedi, a volunteer and one of the founders of Goa COVID Enquiry (WhatsApp) Group, posted on her very busy Twitter handle a link to enable COVID-19 related requirement in Goa. The link seeks details of a COVID-19 patient in a particular format to ensure help is rendered accordingly.
Over the last few days, social media groups, including WhatsApp, are flooded with specific requests by COVID-19 patients or their families for hospital beds, oxygen bed, oxygen cylinders, the anti-viral drug remdesivir, COVID-19 testing and nearby testing centres, or plasma donations. The State has already reported overcrowded hospital wards, long queues for COVID-19 testing as well as delayed results owing to rapid rise in COVID-19 cases.
Tireless efforts of volunteers and good Samaritans are thankfully giving a new lease of life to several patients who have been able to get the required help.
Nikita Kini, is another volunteer reaching out to COVID-19 patients in need of assistance. She also ensures cooked food or any requirement like groceries, medicines are delivered to hospitalised as well as home isolation patients free of cost.
Their phones and social media handles are ringing round the clock pleading help. “I personally received about 150-200 calls, WhatsApp messages, direct messages on social media every day asking for help. It has increased significant since Monday,” Chaturvedi, also a media entrepreneur based in Goa, told Herald.
Despite their personal and professional commitments, many such volunteers are answering to distress calls related to the second wave of COVID-19, that has created panic across the country.
Starting as a solo volunteer, Chaturvedi now has a team of over 20 volunteers, working remotely and coordinating information.
Kini, on the other hand, has decided to do it herself. “I decided to do this by myself because I couldn’t get myself to feel ‘useless’ when I could see the whole country collapsing. Goa is my home. It was where I was born and I know how many senior citizens live alone here or away from their family. I decided to use the only ‘skill’ I can currently use to help others – which is driving. I offered to help get people medicines and groceries in case all their members tested positive. I understand that home delivery from stores is still not a common concept here. So I thought let’s try to get myself out there (with necessary safety precautions) instead,” Kini said in a quick conversation with Herald.
Not just the beds, plasma donors are also on the top wish list of COVID-19 patients. Kini admits it is tiring but won’t give up. “We were looking for a plasma donor. We are still looking for the right match. It’s tiring. But there are so many more people who reached out to me when I put the request out so it feels good knowing even though I’m doing this independently I can still count on the internet,” she said.
With the COVID-19 situation getting worse, people in distress are desperately trying as many sources as possible to ensure their near and dear ones are not denied any help.
“Beds and oxygen (are what people require the most). Despite what health bulletins say – the truth is Goa has no beds and oxygen available,” is what Chaturvedi said as the volunteers are using all the possible resources to help the needy COVID-19 patients. She and her team are also coordinating with some of the doctors in a bid to ensure required assistance to COVID-19 patient is met.
At the same time, they are ensuring their safety as well. Double masks, sanitisation of their vehicle, taking bath, sanitising clothes, etc are not being compromised.
