COVID-19 surge in India worries Indian Americans
‘It’s a pretty grim situation right now’
On sabbatical in Southwest India, Valparaiso University Professor of South Asian Religions and Cultures George Pati said he’s seen empty streets and religious places of worship closed down to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Pati, who has been in Thiruvalla since January conducting research on rituals and performances, said during the most recent surge, “people are getting sick quicker and they need medical attention.”
Currently, the country has state-by-state lockdowns, Pati said, and Thiruvalla, with a population of more than 50,000, is on lockdown.
Infections in India have surged since February in a disastrous turn blamed on more contagious variants as well as government decisions to allow massive crowds to gather for religious festivals and political rallies.
At the election campaigns “people did not maintain social distancing and in some cases did not wear masks,” Pati said. Then, people from all over the country participated in Kumbh Mela, a major Hindu pilgrimage festival, “without following any COVID19 protocols” and then “returned to their respective homes and spread the virus,” he said.
On Friday, India’s total virus cases since the pandemic started topped 26 million as the country registered almost 300,000 fatalities.
COVID-19 cases are beginning to decrease slightly, as the number of new cases has dipped below 300,000 daily May 17-21 for the first time in weeks.
But deaths have continued to rise and hospitals are still swamped with patients. India has recorded almost 300,000 virus deaths since the pandemic began, but experts warn that both the number of deaths and total reported cases are likely vast undercounts.
Northwest Indiana Indian Americans shared how they’re processing the surge of their home country from thousands of miles away.
Vijay Dave
Dave, 77, said the majority of his family still lives in Mumbai, “one of the worst affected areas” during this second surge. His imme
diate family — his two sisters and their families and first cousins — has been safe, Dave said.
But, his extended family has not been so lucky.
“They have lost their brother, daughter-in-law, wife, sisters, grandparents. Lots of death,” Dave said. “It’s a sad situation.”
For example, Dave said his distant nephew volunteered to deliver food to COVID-19 patients, and he ultimately died of COVID-19.
The distance between him and his family presents mixed feelings, Dave said. His family members, most of whom are doctors, have all been vaccinated, he said, which is reassuring.
“I’m feeling very safe in United States, and I feel sad that I’m here and they’re exposed to a lot of negative things and illness (and) that I’m not able to do anything directly,” Dave said.
When the pandemic first started, Dave — a cardiologist and director of medical education at St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart — said medical experts anticipated that Mumbai, “the worst slum area and highest population in the world” and India’s other major cities would see “a very large scale death” count.
More than 12.4 million people live in Mumbai, where the virus statistics show a seven-day positive rate of more than 32,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University dashboard.
But, in the early days of the virus, government officials instituted a “very strict shut down,” which helped minimize the spread. But as the country reopened and people attended political and religious events, the surge started, he said.
India’s infrastructure has been slow to deliver vaccines across the country, Dave said. But, Dave said, those who get the vaccine are protecting themselves against the virus and preventing the spread.
Vidya Kora
Kora, 65, a physician at Franciscan Health in Michigan City, was born in Hyderabad — the capital of southern India’s Telangana state — and his three brothers and their families still live there.
During the first wave of the virus, one of his brothers, who is a physician, had COVID-19 and recovered, Kora said. He talks to his family about two to three times a week, Kora said, to make sure everyone is doing well.
“I feel extremely sad to see what’s happening because the devastation is extreme,” Kora said. “It’s a pretty grim situation right now.”
During the first wave of the virus, there was a national lockdown, but that “caused significant economic distress to millions of people who depend on work to make their living,” Kora said. After reported cases of COVID-19 started decreasing, he said “there was a certain amount of complacency on the part of everyone.”
Since vaccines became available, Kora said most of his family members have been vaccinated. Overall, vaccine hesitancy, a stressed health care system, and a lack of oxygen supply has led to “a very difficult situation” in India, Kora said.
“The fact of the matter is, we have safe vaccines. They are effective vaccines,” Kora said. “I really feel the best way to beat COVID is vaccination.”
Kavya Hari
Hari, 23, who was also born in Hyderabad, came to the United States in early 2020, just before the pandemic started, to pursue her master’s degree in information technology at Valparaiso University.
As an intern at the Office of International Programs and connection with the university’s Indian group, Valparaiso University has 78 students from India during the spring semester, Hari said, “so everyone (was) worried about their families.”
“It’s our semester exams now, but we are hearing bad news from every family that uncle died or some other relatives died,” Hari said. “Many of the students are feeling really bad because now we can’t go personally meet our parents.”
Hari said she’s very concerned about her family, which was an added stress as she prepared for finals. Recently, her uncle’s mother died and another uncle died of COVID, she said.
“It’s horrible every day. Whenever my parents call me or whenever I call my parents, or any other student calls their parents, we are just very worried because we don’t know what we’ll (hear) from them,” Hari said.
In talking with her parents, Hari said they discuss how they wish she were home so the family could be together. New international students have told her the same thing, Hari said, that they wish they could be home to take care of their families.
But, the university has been supportive to international students, Hari said, providing resources for students staying on camps last summer and handing out care packages.
Nirupama Devaraj
Born in Mumbai, Devaraj said her extended family still lives in the city and her brother and his family are visiting India. Her husband’s extended family also lives in India, she said.
When the pandemic started, neither her or her husband’s family members contracted COVID-19. But, during the second wave, Devaraj said her aunt and uncle have contracted the virus and recovered.
Devaraj, 46, who is an assistant professor of economics at Valparaiso University, said she’s heard anecdotally heard from friends and co-workers whose family members have been impacted by the virus, for example a friend whose parents and brother all died of COVID-19 within three weeks of each other.
“This time around, we are definitely feeling it more. The statistics are there to show it’s a surge, but I think we are also experiencing it more personally,” Devaraj said. “You feel rather helpless from here, because all you can do is just keep reassuring.”
Being in the United States and vaccinated makes her and her husband feel privileged, Devaraj said, while the situation in India is so dire.
“You really feel terrible that you’re not able to really be there with the people of your own family and friends and so on,” Devaraj said.
A shortage of vaccines, long waits for vaccines and the population density in India are not helping in containing the virus, Devaraj said.
Last year, India’s economy contracted 8%, Devaraj said. This year, the economy “was well on its way to recovery because everything had opened up” and then the surge hit, she said.
If the lockdowns are short, then India’s economy should continue to bounce back, but if the lockdowns are longer then “this might result in similar numbers as last year,” Devaraj said.
Another economic toll, Devaraj said, is health care costs.