In the midst of the Covid-19 crisis that overwhelmed the Indian health care system, social networking sites became a place to seek help from many people.
Rajni Gill woke up with a mild fever in mid-April, the first sign that she had Covid-19. Within a few days, she had difficulty breathing and was nearly unconscious at the hospital. Desperate to be unable to arrange for Gill’s plasma treatment, her sister posted a plea on social media: “I am looking for a plasma donor for the sister who is hospitalized in Noida. She is blood type B and 43 years old “. Fortunately, the message quickly spread on Twitter and appeared on the phone of Mr. Srinivas BV, an opposition politician in nearby Delhi. He claimed to be a voluntary blood donor and went to help this Covid-19 patient. Internet cries for help spread “like wildfire” India’s health care system has been on the brink of collapse as the country records a record increase every day. Desperate, relatives and friends of the infected people have to send messages for help on social networks. Thousands of people are dying from Covid-19 in India every day. Photo: New York Times. Some people need medical oxygen, which is almost impossible to find in the capital, Delhi. Others are on the hunt for high-priced drugs on the black market, or extremely scarce ventilators. And many of those pleas received a response. The prayers for help reached all walks of life in India, from engineers, lawyers, NGO workers, workers, politicians, doctors and even tuk drivers- tuk. Online networks to help victims of Covid-19 are formed in many of the most remote places. Mr. Srinivas, 38 years old, who donated blood to patient Covid-19 in this story is also among these. As chairman of the youth union of the opposition Indian Congress Party, in early 2020, when the first pandemic struck and India had to blockade, Mr. Srinivas summoned the young volunteers. All over the country distributes food to trapped migrants along with more than 10 million masks. Srinivas said calls for help on social media began to spread “like wildfire”. So he created the hashtag #SOSIYC so that everyone could connect with his Indian Youth Congress. How online networks work India’s online help networks rely on tools and algorithms commonly used in social media marketing. Families of victims will tag with large followers to amplify their message. Meanwhile, volunteer organizers use keywords to filter requests. Abhishek Murarka, who works in finance in Mumbai, decided he needed to do more than share his Twitter posts. He began searching for “verified”, “confirmed” and “available” on Twitter to follow potential supporters like Mr. Srinivas’s team. He posted an 84-second video explaining his tricks so others can use. Hundreds of miles away, 20-year-old Praveen Mishra studied Murarka’s way and applied his own filters to search for hospital beds, oxygen and medicine. He was able to give a special medicine to a patient in Delhi after confirming that it was available in Hyderabad. Some people are even exploiting resources around the world. Nikhil Jois and his team checked and contacted charities providing oxygen, food and tampons. He shortened the list to just over a dozen organizations, then asked companies in India to stick the list on their apps or websites so that Indians could easily access it. help. “The best part of social media is that you trust strangers,” said Jois. Nikhil Jois checked aid organizations and called for donations to victims of Covid-19. Photo: Nikhil Jois. Social media is the only way to seek help However, putting your trust in social media isn’t always a good idea. Several well-known accounts offer shoddy or exorbitant prices to desperate patients. Even joking and deceiving vulnerable people can cause many conflicts of hatred. But with India in crisis and moving not a safe option, social media is the only way for some people to seek help. Aditya Jain, who lives in the capital Delhi, recently issued a call on Twitter. He felt helpless because his aunt and uncle, who lived about 200 km away in Agra, were struggling over a blockade. His aunt has spinal disease, and his uncle, a diabetic, is on dialysis every week. Unable to go out, they only ate one meal a day. They are unable to take care of themselves and cannot even bathe themselves. Through LinkedIn, he found an organization that caters to seniors and filled out a form, providing their names and locations. The next morning, the volunteers showed up in front of his aunt’s house with breakfast and adult diapers. “Social media is like a gift from heaven to us,” said Jain emotionally. But not everyone is as lucky as Jain and Miss Gill. Mr. Srinivas said his organization receives at least 10,000 messages on Twitter every day. However, for every 100 requests, he can usually only help from 30 to 40 people due to lack of manpower and material resources. A volunteer teaches a family member how to use an oxygen tank. Photo: Srinivas BV Ms. Mahua Ray Chaudhuri used to “frantically” tag Mr. Srinivas while searching for oxygen for her ailing father. His team found some, but that was not enough: There were no more ICU beds for patients in the hospital. “At least I could find oxygen for my dad, and he didn’t die of suffocation,” Ms. Chaudhuri said. “This help from these strangers on Twitter is like a relief to our pandemic mind and soul.” The chaplain’s account of the funeral for 150 Covid-19 patients before cremation Every day, Hindu cleric RamKaran Mishra performs a funeral for about 150 people who have died from Covid-19 at the Ghazipur crematory facility east of New Delhi, India.
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