Pune: "After observing the suffering that the COVID-19 has caused over the past year, I am thankful to the doctors for saving our lives," said Jivandhar Awati, who, one year on, was a little reluctant to divulge his name for fear of being stigmatised.
The Pune-resident and his wife were the first two cases of COVID-19 detected in Maharashtra on March 9, 2020. The couple, along with their daughter, were part of a 40-member group that had travelled to Dubai and returned to India. Their flight arrived at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai on March 1, from where the group dispersed to their homes in Mumbai, Nagpur and other places.
While they did not report any symptoms, their swabs were tested as a precautionary measure. Little did they know about this infection will become a global pandemic. Even before the test results could come out after eight days (March 9), the couple was isolated at Naidu Hospital run by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). In no time, their daughter also tested positive for the novel virus. In a series of the spread of the infection, the cab driver who ferried them from Mumbai airport to their Pune home was also found positive.
"There was a little scare and firstly it was tough to be isolated. We underwent the test after doctors advised us. We were shocked that tests results were positive," Jivandhar said over the telephone. "Initially, the guidelines were not clear even for the hospital staff. Thus, for 1-2 days they were not clear even though they were prepared for the infection. But the doctors at Naidu Hospital were more than co-operative to us."
"Being the first in the state to test positive was a big shock. At the hospital, we finished our isolation period along with other patients and returned home. Months after discharge, I volunteered and also donated my plasma. I even suggested people take proper care during the isolation," he recalls.
"I thought that if the government has imposed strict rules during this period of the last year, the infection will completely disappear in 3-4 months. Nobody forced us to visit the hospital for checking, but we ourselves got tested. Similarly, one must get tested if they found any symptoms.
From earning the suspicious distinction of witnessing the first COVID positive case in Maharashtra in March last year to being the headquarter of one of India's leading manufacturers of the COVID-19 vaccine, Pune has remained at the centre-stage of the global pandemic.
To date, the Pune district has witnessed 4,20,877 COVID-19 cases, with over 9,300 people losing lives amid the contagion.
