Corona Daily 401: And the Winner is…

Now was the interesting part. In all other respects, the party was like any other party. Young boys and girls dancing, drinking, ear-piercing music, people trying to outshout the music, chips, pizzas, junk food and bottles strewn about.

The host, a third year student at the University, silenced the music to draw attention to his announcement.

‘Guys, thanks for making tonight’s party an unbelievable success. Today, our collection is an all-time record. $380 in total.’ The DJ, doubling up as treasurer for the event, held out the neatly tied up cash made up of $10 and $20 notes. He put it in a trophy placed on a high stool.

‘There’, the host said pointing to the trophy. ‘One of us is going to get all that dough. $380. I would like to welcome…’ he invited a boy to stand next to him. Everyone clapped. ‘Congratulations to our winner! He gets $240, from the last party. We have verified everything. He has a proper certificate. A genuine, good positive test. Well done!’ The infected boy waved and pocketed the cash.

‘Remember,’ the host continued. ‘The rules are simple and clear. Preserve your Covid party tickets. Except the previous winners, everyone qualifies. It is not enough to get infected. You must do a proper test, and produce a documented result. We reserve the right to verify. If all this is understood, thanks and good luck.’

There was a great rush to hug the winner. He was overwhelmed. Reciprocating, he warmly hugged and kissed everyone. Nobody knew how exactly the virus was transmitted. He wanted to be fair to everyone.

*****

Tuscaloosa is the seventh largest city in the state of Alabama. An educational town, it is home to the University of Alabama, and many other colleges. Alabama has had more than 40,000 confirmed cases, nearly 1000 deaths. Tuscaloosa County has had 2107 cases, 39 deaths.

On 30 June, Tuscaloosa fire chief Randy Smith told the city council he had heard about student parties where infected kids attend. He initially thought it was a rumour. However, city doctors and state officials confirm having the same information. On 1 July, city council member Sonya McKinstry testified that the Covid party was a morbid game where Covid-positive students were intentionally invited, and a competition organized with money in a pot. Whoever gets Covid first, gets the money.

*****

University of Alabama issued a press statement saying they have been aware of the rumours about Covid parties, but unable to identify any students who attended such parties. Alabama department of public health (ADPH) has now declared violations of home quarantine punishable by a fine up to $500 (note: more than the Covid party winning amount.) This week, an ordinance has been issued making mask-wearing mandatory in the city of Tuscaloosa.

*****

In the state of New York, health officials are complaining about non-cooperation from those who attended a recent party. That party caused a local outbreak. The students refuse to answer the calls. Their parents lie saying the kid was at home, when he/she wasn’t. On 1 July, the health commissioner Dr Patricia Schnabel confirmed subpoenas will be issued to force the parties to comply with contact tracing efforts. Failure to comply will cost $2000 a day.

*****

The cost of a subpoena is another variable American students will need to take into account before attending the next party.

Ravi

Corona Daily 402: The Elephant Mystery

Recently elephants have been in the news in a big way. On 27 May, in the Indian state of Kerala, a 15-year old pregnant female elephant ate a pineapple. It was stuffed with explosives, probably meant for a wild boar. Since March, the beginning of the lockdown, 13 elephants were found dead in the Coimbatore forest, 14 in Odisha, 6 elephants including a 20-month pregnant female died in Chhatisgarh, and 10 in Sirumugai forest range.   

In Bangladesh, three elephants were found electrocuted on 14 June. In search of food, they probably ventured out to places they normally don’t go to.

*****

Elephants are expensive to maintain. They eat 300 kg of grass and vegetables every day. A special place with lots of cubic feet needs to be rented for them. Monthly expense for their upkeep can easily go up to $6000.

In Thailand, nearly 4000 elephants living in zoos or sanctuaries relied on tourists. Once the lockdown began, it became impossible to maintain them. More than 100 elephants, escorted, walked 100 miles from Mae Wang to Ban Huay to reach their original villages. Some of them went home after twenty years, and expressed their happiness by musically lifting their trunks. Many others have been sent back to the wild to fend for themselves.

***** 

What is happening in Botswana has mystified scientists. With more than 135,000 elephants roaming freely in unfenced parks and open spaces, Botswana is the number one elephant country. Almost 400 elephants have mysteriously died in the last three months, 70% of them from May onwards. During a three hour flight, conservationists spotted 169 carcasses, an extraordinarily high number. On further investigation, 350 carcasses were found. This is in the area of Okavango Delta (grassland), one of Africa’s natural wonders.

The victims are male and female, of all ages. They have not been killed by poachers; the (ivory) tusks are intact. Nobody tried to take away the tusks. Cyanide or other poisoning is ruled out because no other animal in the vicinity has died. Neither have the scavenging vultures feeding on the carcasses. Many elephants have died in an upright position, suggesting sudden death. The ones who are alive look lethargic and disoriented. One elephant was found circling aimlessly, unable to decide the direction.

The lockdown has delayed post-mortems, collecting and analyzing samples. The samples collected so far have ruled out Anthrax or poisoning. Biologist Dr Niall McCann suspects something is attacking their neurological systems.

*****

A legend says old wild elephants leave the herd when they sense approaching death. Alone, the old elephant walks away and goes deep into the jungles or on mountains to die. This is called the ‘elephant graveyard’ legend. Zoologists call this an unresolved mystery. A single herd can comprise of fifty to hundred elephants.

Finding hundreds of elephant carcasses is an unusual event. It has never happened except during a drought.

*****

With poaching, anthrax and poison ruled out, the other possibility raised by Dr McCann is some sort of an epidemic (other than coronavirus). Something that can be transmitted to humans as well. Other than being a conservation disaster, it then becomes another public health crisis.

Following the Botswana mystery, India should also investigate the true reasons for dozens of elephants dying across India in a short span of time.

Ravi

Corona Daily 403: Jurors, Judges, Masks and Zoom Hanging

Most USA criminal trials still use the jury system. The Northampton county court was shut for nearly two months. Finally, it decided to start trials on 15 June. More than 100 summonses were dispatched. The court would take all precautions: sanitizers, temperature screening, social distancing and masks.

A jury duty summons is normally morally binding on the recipient. But is that an essential service? Should an elderly juror or someone with a medical condition refuse to serve? What if the jury doesn’t have enough elderly people, blacks and Latinos? That will not be a representative jury, argue some lawyers. And if there is no public in the court, how can it be called a public trial?

The first problem confronted by the Northampton judge Michael Koury was during the jury selection. The Defense lawyer normally talks to the potential jurors to learn if any of them is biased. With jurors wearing a mask, he was unable to see them smile, smirk or frown – signals for an experienced attorney. He complained he couldn’t learn the prejudices, if any.

Across America, in different courts, a testifying witness is not allowed to cover his face. In the USA as well as UK, Muslim women appearing as witnesses in a niqab, as a rule, have been asked to show their face when testifying.

The big worry is the mask-wearing requirement for the defendant (accused). Defense lawyers are concerned the accused sitting with a mask may be perceived as a crook or a bandit. The lawyers find it difficult to hold confidential conversation with the defendant, when both of them have masks, and are required to maintain six feet between them. Some lawyers use text chat as a compromise.

After listening to all the concerns, Judge Michael Koury announced the postponement of all trials for a month or more. The pandemic requirement of mask-wearing was not compatible with the trial requirements that should be fair to the defendant.

*****

Ashland County’s judge Ronald Forsthoefel was more courageous. Whited, the defendant, was accused of child endangerment and other charges.  The defending lawyer Adam Stone said the jurors were anxious, stressed and distracted due to health and safety concerns. That would deny his client a fair trial.

Stone later filed a motion stating both he and his client were coughing, having breathing difficulties, headache and muscle pain. However, neither had any fever. The judge declined to postpone the trial.

Then Whited, the defendant, collapsed and had to be carried to the hospital. He was advised to self-isolate. Adam stone went into quarantine. The Ohio association of criminal defense lawyers criticized the decision to hold the trial. No justification for holding a non-essential jury trial in the midst of a pandemic, they said.

*****

The lockdown has resulted into an (additional) backlog of more than 37,000 cases in the UK. Indian courts have an extended summer break. The Bombay high court has permitted e-filing and video hearings for urgent matters, although there is no clarity on what is urgent.

In Singapore, a 37-year man was sentenced to death by hanging in a trial held over Zoom. Human rights groups have condemned the virtual verdict announcing an actual execution.

*****

Ravi  

Corona Daily 404: Sweatshirt, Hoodie, Surgical Mask and Backpack

On 4 June, two men entered the Liberty Bank on Crowder Boulevard in New Orleans. Based on CCTV evidence, the FBI statement provided their details. Both were African American males, aged anywhere between 17-25. The taller in height (6’- 6’2”) was lighter (160-180 pounds). He wore all black with red lettering on the hoodie, a blue medical mask and a blue/black backpack. The other male (5’6”-5’9”/180-200 pounds) wore a grey hoodie, black t-shirt, black hat, blue medical mask and pink/white backpack. The two robbed the bank and left on foot with an undisclosed amount. Anyone with information is requested to contact the FBI or police. You may offer information anonymously.

***** 

On the same day, in the Citizens Bank of Plainfield Pike in Cranston, a man presented a note to the teller demanding cash. As much as is known, he carried no weapon. The man in a gray baggy sweatshirt, surgical mask, black champion football cap, white sneakers with white laces left the bank on foot, with an undisclosed amount.

In June 2020, America’s bank robbery database is soaring as rapidly as its corona cases. Most robberies were similar - surgical mask, hood, note to the teller, no weapons, no violence, leaving on foot.

Some minor variations. In the Citizens Bank at 1798 Smith street (19 June), the masked man wore gloves as well and gave the teller a plastic bag along with the note. At CVS at Harbour Boulevard in Destin (9 June), a white male wearing a mask, sunglasses and a pulled down hat demanded narcotics.

Someone the police nicknamed “double dipper bandit” robbed the Chase bank at S.Tower road twice (5 May/ 2 June). He is described as a white male, 30-40 age, 6 feet, and thin build. (Maybe the bank can add him to its payroll.)

*****

The case of Richard Kuder, 23, was different. On 11 June, he handed a note to the teller of the Central bank (Ozarks, Springfield). He took $7200 from the teller. Then he moved to the front of the CCTV, removed his mask to show his full face. That afternoon, he paid his overdue rent and bought presents for his girlfriend and her son. On 16 June, he gave his written confession. He is now in jail. Before you feel sorry for him, you should know he has been to jail many times. This was probably his straightforward plan to go back there.

It’s heartening to see many white males among the robbers. They have saved many black men from being identified as bank robbers by default.

Most bank robberies have happened in the USA, I suppose, because it is a nation that has more guns than people. A bank teller assumes the masked man has a gun even when he doesn’t.

***** 

In India’s state of Haryana, the police have made it compulsory to remove the mask in front of CCTV once before entering a bank.

Software wizards have started working on taking face recognition to the next level. There are reports Apple’s face recognition fails when a mask is worn. This month, Sensory, a Silicon Valley Company, has introduced its new platform, TrulySecure. Its features make it a pandemic special. It can recognize users wearing masks. (TrulySecure claims to accurately detect coughs and sneezes as well.)

Masked bank robbers may have a very small window before CCTVs can see through the masks.

Ravi

Corona Daily 405: Wearing a Face Mask

Until March this year, I had never worn a face mask. When I lived and worked in Russia, temperatures would reach minus forty in January. Outdoors; my head, ears and neck were covered, but the nose and mouth were free to breathe and speak.

When India went into lockdown, I tried a handkerchief first. I had read about the mask shortages in the USA. What chance did India have to cover 1.4 billion faces?

I was wrong. In Mumbai (Because of the lockdown,  I can share my firsthand perspective only about Mumbai), masks have been available in plenty. At the chemist, online from Amazon, on the streets. For low-technology or no-technology products, India is a true champ. A rectangular piece of cloth with a couple of strings is all it takes to make sure a policeman or an activist will not stop you on the road.

*****

I remember in the first week everyone pulled the mask down to the chin to talk. When buying groceries, a customer and a seller would both pull it down during the transaction. A busy grocer simply kept it on the chin. It took about two weeks for people to figure out you could talk through the mask.

The N95 mask guarantees 95% filtering of airborne particles, provided it is properly fit, and worn on and taken off with great care. That research put me off. I would have considered a “N100 mask”, but it doesn’t exist. I wear a simple cloth mask.

Masks have seriously affected human interaction. People continue to smile inside the mask, but a smile can’t be heard like a laugh. If you are observant you can occasionally deduce a smile when the eyes crinkle.

My communication is affected in a major way. Last Sunday, with a slight relaxation in lockdown rules, I drove to the south of Mumbai. Two moustachioed inspectors were guarding the Gateway of India. I began walking towards it, as if the world was normal. One policeman charged towards me with his baton.

I drew his attention to the board at the barricade. In big letters, it said WELCOME. The policeman didn’t understand the joke (a) because his ability to appreciate humour was limited and (b) because I was wearing a mask.

Depending on the listener, I crack jokes with a smiling face or a straight face. Now my humour is no longer selling. When we talk, our words are accompanied by facial expressions. (That’s why the virtual world had to invent emojis). We judge the emotions of the people by their face, not only by their words.   

I now feel more sympathetic to the Burqa-clad Muslim women who must communicate without any facial expression.

*****

Since April, I have said hello or waved to dozens of people with little idea who they were. On Sunday, during my long run, a cyclist wearing a helmet, sunglasses and mask passed by me, calling me by my first name. I am still trying to figure out who that girl was.

People in Mumbai have mostly accepted mask-wearing as the new norm. Last week, I saw on two occasions men pulling their masks down to spit on the road. At least in some respects, life is returning to normal.

Ravi

Corona Daily 406: Change Please

Many places in the USA are opening up. Finding a parking place is a little easier, but there is no change to feed into the parking meter. Americans can see Coke in the vending machine, but without change they can’t buy it. Many supermarkets have made shopping trolleys free; the requirement to drop a coin to unlock them is waived. But the checkout lady may offer the customer candy or gum instead of change.

USA is facing a severe coin shortage as a result of the pandemic.

In March, Americans saw TV news about the Chinese and Koreans giving banknotes UV light treatment, and then placing them in quarantine for fourteen days. Coins, the health experts said, were even more dangerous. The virus lingers much longer on metal. Americans chose to be safe. Coin circulation came to a halt.

US Mint produces coins in Denver and Philadelphia. To protect the mint workers, production was cut down drastically.

The Federal Reserve is responsible for managing and distributing coins. They supply coins to banks, who in turn supply them to retailers, who give it as change to the customers, who feed them into the vending machines, parking meters, in the amusement park attractions. This circular process almost stopped. Coupled with the mints not producing enough; pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters are not easy to find.

From 15 June, Federal Reserve has officially started rationing coins. The official term is ‘strategic allocation of coin inventories’. Banks are getting about 40% of what they need. Rural banks are suffering more. Bankers are worried about a possible news headline: “banks run out of money”. The Federal Reserve has assured them coins will make a comeback.

*****

In Europe, millions are moving to digital payments. Debit and credit cards are cashless. But for obvious reasons, the next step is contactless payments. Apple pay, Google pay, PayPal are flourishing. Online shopping has shot up. Many elderly people are signing up for online banking for the first time.

Making the economy cashless even in developed countries is not as easy as we imagine. In the UK, 1.23 million adults don’t have bank accounts. Only 40% of those aged 65+ have internet access via smartphone. All over the world, the poorest, illiterates, technical illiterates (usually old) prefer cash. Some of them earn in cash. It is easier to budget expenses; you can’t spend more cash than you have. Cash offers anonymity to honest people as well.

*****

Australia, on the other hand, is planning to produce fewer physical coins. There is less demand for them now. Since March, ATM withdrawals have gone down by 30%. Reserve Bank of Australia had to produce 2.5 billion extra banknotes, because Australians began withdrawing their savings.

In the developing countries of Asia and Africa, inflation had already made many coins obsolete. A likely threat in the coming months is a run on the banks. People tend to hoard cash as a precaution. Like in Australia, they will need to withdraw heavily from their bank accounts. If 2-3 major banks collapse, trust in the entire banking system gets eroded.

Saving the country’s banking system from bankruptcy will be the biggest challenge for these governments.

Ravi

Corona Daily 407: Afterlife benefits

This week, USA showed itself to be the greatest welfare state - it provides for its citizens even in the afterlife.

As a measure of pandemic relief, a total of $1.4 billion was distributed among 1.1 million dead Americans. Some widows received two debit cards, one in the name of their late husbands. Certain politicians brushed it off as an error, mitigated by the coronavirus shock and the speed with which the stimulus needed to be delivered.

This same nation, in a matter of hours, had published the photos and biographies of the 19 terrorists despite four plane crashes vaporizing all passengers beyond recognition.  USA can’t send debit cards and checks to 1.1 million dead people by mistake, and it didn’t. On 25 June, GOA (Government accountability office), the watchdog, published a 400 page-report that includes analysis of this incident.

USA is mostly run by three-letter abbreviations. IRS (Internal Revenue Service) is the tax collector. BFS (Bureau of fiscal service) sent people the stimulus checks. Both these services are part of the Treasury. SSA(Social security administration) is an independent agency that holds the database of more than 125 million dead Americans.

IRS, the tax collector, can access the SSA’s Death Master File. BFS, the stimulus payer, can’t. When the government decided to make the EIP (Economic Impact Payments) of $1200 to Americans below a certain income level, IRS lawyers discussed the recipients’ eligibility. They determined IRS can’t deny payments to those who have filed tax returns for 2019. Once they file the tax return, they are entitled to the stimulus, even if dead.

BFS was under pressure to dispatch checks and debit cards as rapidly as possible. It had no access to death data. IRS would not give them that access, unless Congress approves it. And Congress was in lockdown. BFS decided to refer to the 2008 textbook. Americans are exceedingly fortunate the last two great crises happened in election years. George Bush in 2008 and Donald Trump in 2020 were in a hurry to help. A school child could have applied a death filter (if IRS had allowed it), and all 1.1 million Americans would have fallen off. However, such a filter was not applied in 2008. So BFS decided not to apply it this time.

Many checks carried the printed word ‘deceased’ after the name of the late citizen. $1200 was sent either by direct transfer, checks or debit cards. A son could easily spend on the debit card given to his late father.

Once the auditors began probing, the Treasury, IRS and its lawyers got together hurriedly. After a stormy video discussion, lawyers agreed the receiving person must be alive on the date payment is made. Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary said heirs of the dead should return the funds.

To be legally correct, IRS should notify a citizen about his ineligibility. You are a nonresident alien. Not eligible. You are in prison. Not eligible. You are dead. Not eligible. Notifying the dead is a legal complication. It is simpler to pay them off. Legal experts are now debating whether the descendants are required to return the money.

The watchdog has now recommended Congress should approve giving Treasury access to the death files. Once that happens, unfortunately, Americans will lose their afterlife benefits.

Ravi

Corona Daily 408: Before You Flush the Next Time

The lockdown has made scientists super active. On 16 June, a group of Chinese scientists, PhDs in physics, published a paper that links toilet flushing with coronavirus transmission. They found that flushing a toilet can generate a cloud of aerosol droplets (called Toilet Plume) that rises up to three feet (106.5 cm to be precise).

At the beginning of the pandemic, as even McDonalds and Starbucks started to close, public bathrooms became a deficit. Those planning long road trips had to cancel the plans or be creative. Now that the lockdown is easing in many places, people are venturing out to beaches, cinemas, morning runs, and long drives. Is it safe to use public washrooms? Dr Jen Gunter, a Californian gynecologist offers a series of suggestions.  

Consider large bathrooms with multiple stalls for better air circulation. Better if the exhaust is working. If someone exits a bathroom cabin before you, wait for a minute before entering. Wait longer if you see the toilet seat lid is up. Don’t touch anything with bare hands. Use toilet paper, but wash hands immediately. If the flush is automated, step back to avoid the spray. Wear masks in public washrooms. Avoid reusable hand towels. Get out quickly, don’t answer phones, don’t check messages, just get out.

*****

Most important, close the lid before flushing. Dr Gunter compares a closed lid to face masks. Professor Charles Gerba, an authority, has researched this subject for fifty years. He took close-ups of the ejecting germs from the toilet and described the photos as “Baghdad at night during a US air attack”.

In little droplets of water, whatever is in the toilet can spray on nearby clothes, cosmetics, soap, shampoo, hair dryer and…. Toothbrushes. Dr Gerba closes the lid before flushing for decades, even at home.

If a public toilet is without a lid, he advices the users to flush and run away.

In one experiment, Dr Gerba placed six cages with mice at different heights in a small bathroom. Then he flushed a mouse pneumonia virus transmitted by inhalation. Those mice placed higher than three feet escaped infection, others got infected.

The Chinese scientists have recommended the manufacturers should redesign toilets so that the flush doesn’t work unless the toilet lid is down.

*****  

In countries like India, with five star hotels shut, clean public bathrooms are impossible to find. It is recommended you drink less before stepping out. Dehydration may be better than covid-19. Dr Gunter says women can squeeze and relax pelvic floor muscles in quick succession five times. Quick flicks relax the bladder, postponing the urge. (Sorry no suggestions for men).

A UK study found that 85% of British women crouched or uncomfortably hovered over the toilet. 12% applied seat covers (rarely available), and 2% sat directly on public toilet seats. Dr Gunter advices women to sit on toilet seats without fear. That makes it safer for those who follow. Men must raise the seat, which is something most husbands have heard from their wives.

Now, following the latest advice, men must continue to raise the seat, but close the lid before flushing.

Ravi

Corona Daily 409: The Year of the Midwives

In May 2019, when WHO decided to declare 2020 as the “Year of the Nurse and the Midwife”, it had no idea how fortuitous the choice was. (The decision was based on the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale).

Since March, midwives are in great demand everywhere. Many pregnant women are terrified of delivering in a hospital. Women in the second and third trimesters are seeking alternative birth options.

In this matter, developed countries may be backward. Between 2000 and 2017, the maternal mortality rate has become worse only in 13 countries of the world. United States of America is one among them, in the civilized company of countries like Syria and Venezuela. Sweden has a 300-year tradition of professional midwifery. India has over two million qualified nurse-midwives and another million diploma midwives. The world is still short of 9 million midwives.

*****

Currently, the fear is mutual. Pregnant women are worried they may catch the virus in the hospital. The midwife is worried the pregnant woman may transmit the virus to her. During childbirth, social distancing is not possible. In New York City, one out of seven women admitted for delivery tested positive. Most were asymptomatic. Still, they reported a feeling of being shunned by the hospital staff. Their babies were taken away from them at birth, and given back a few days later. Some midwives offered help only through Facetime or Zoom. Initially, the expectant partner was not allowed in the room. Later, Governor Cuomo issued an order allowing the partner or any uninfected substitute.

The pandemic has reshaped the delivery process. Women in labour pain wearing masks, being looked after by midwives in protective gear is a bizarre if not a grotesque experience.

In parts of Scotland, home births were banned, but can now resume from 29 June. A woman wanting to deliver at home must sign an agreement promising a series of safeguards for the attending midwife. If the house has two toilets, one must be reserved exclusively for the midwife. (About toilets and virus, tomorrow).

Netherlands is more civilized. In the last two months, births were allowed to happen in empty hotels where midwives could get enough space to feel safe.

*****

WHO says safe and effective midwifery can prevent 83% of maternal deaths, stillbirths and newborn deaths. Experienced midwives can handle most low-risk women through labour, leaving only the most complicated cases to obstetricians. Even a non-professional midwife (called doula) is a great comfort for the pregnant woman.  

The medical profession, however, is commercial in many places. Modern doctors are trained to advise medical intervention every time. A C-section has become fashionable. In the USA, 35% of deliveries are C-section. WHO thinks the rate should be between 10% and 15%.

Caesarian is a major surgery that increases the risk of infection, hemorrhage and blood clotting. That risk has to be weighed against the risk of delivering at home.

Birth, a fundamentally natural process, may go back to become natural. A sustained trend of natural birthing will be a great positive contribution of the pandemic.

Ravi  

Corona Daily 410: Eight Hospitals in Fifteen Hours

Thirty-year old Neelam Kumari Gautam worked on an assembly line producing electrical wire. She was happy the lockdown had started during her pregnancy. Her husband Bijendra Singh, 31, serviced machines at a printing press. Their joint annual income of Rs 6 lakh ($8000) was enough to take care of them, their six-year old son, and the baby that would arrive sometime in June. The family lived in Ghaziabad, Delhi’s satellite city.

*****

On 5 June, Neelam woke her husband up at 5 am. Her excruciating labour pains were accompanied by rising blood pressure and breathlessness. Fortunately, her brother-in-law, Shailendra, owns an auto rickshaw. He took the couple to the ESIC model hospital. Neelam had an ESIC (employee insurance) card that qualifies her for cashless treatment there. The first thing the doctor said to Neelam: ‘I will slap you if you take off your mask.’ He then asked the couple to move to another hospital.

By 7 am, the rickshaw reached Shivalik Hospital, which had given Neelam pre-natal care earlier. Doctors feared she had coronavirus, and abruptly asked her to leave. Later, its director Ravi Mohta said: ‘We are a small mother and child hospital. We did what we could.’

In the rickshaw, Neelam was panting, sweating, holding her husband’s arm tightly. Fortis hospital is a health care giant. Neelam went in at around 11 am. Fortis would issue a statement two days later: ‘Due to unavailability of rooms in the ICU, she was given oxygen in the waiting area. The husband was counseled and explained the need for transfer to another hospital.’

Their next stop, the Jaypee hospital, later issued a statement. ‘She had covid-19 symptoms like fever and breathlessness. According to government instructions, we referred her to GIMS, where covid patients are treated.’

Sharada hospital in greater Noida treats covid patients. Its spokesperson, Dr Ajit Kumar later said: ‘We had no space in the ICU, and ICU allotment happens through the CMO office. So, she was referred to a higher center.’

It was eight hours since they had left home in the morning. The temperature was hovering around 38 C. At 1330, Bijendra called the police. Two police officers met them at the entrance of GIMS (Government Institute of Medical Sciences), a large public hospital. Police tried to persuade the doctors, but couldn’t get the patient admitted. The family paid Rs 5500 for a private ambulance which took them to the Max Super Specialty hospital, 25 miles away. It had no beds. Later, Vaishali, the hospital’s spokesperson said: ‘As per our records, no such patient was registered in our emergency.’

The ambulance carried them back to GIMS. In the ambulance, Bijendra repeatedly pleaded with his wife to keep her spirits up. She did not respond. At GIMS, they tried to resuscitate her, but it was too late to do anything. At 08.05 pm, fifteen hours and eight hospitals since leaving home, Neelam was pronounced dead. Her baby also died.

Dr Rakesh Gupta, director, GIMS, later said, ‘yes, they came to us, but we didn’t have a bed. And the second time they came, the woman was dead.’

Atul Garg, the minister for medical, health and family welfare said, ‘I will inquire and get back. Since I am on visit to districts in western UP, I had no information about the case.’

A preliminary government investigation said: ‘Hospital administration and staff have been found guilty of carelessness.’

*****

Ravi