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What Next | Daily News and Analysis

Inside India’s COVID Wards

What Next | Daily News and Analysis

Slate Podcasts

Daily News, News, News Commentary

4.32.4K Ratings

🗓️ 29 April 2021

⏱️ 27 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

India started 2021 with government officials repeatedly declaring victory over COVID-19. But the virus has overrun hospitals and crematoriums, in part due to massive gatherings and a slow vaccination rollout.  Guest: Chahat Rana, health reporting fellow at The Caravan magazine.  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

So Bella brings me the post and I'm like, oh no, this won't be good. I mean, it's a vet's bill.

0:06.5

But then I remember many pets pet insurance. My complete policy covers Bella for up to £15,000 of vet fees.

0:14.8

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0:19.5

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0:24.4

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0:28.4

Contitions and exclusions apply.

0:34.8

Shahat Rana says being an India right now means constantly asking yourself,

0:40.2

when will I get COVID?

0:42.4

It's like a circle that's closing in. You hear a distant contact, then you hear your neighbor

0:48.2

has COVID and you hear a friend's parent has COVID, friends parent has died, grandparent has died.

0:56.9

You know, my father's colleague has died.

0:59.0

The stuff like that, so you hear these like it comes closer and closer to you and you wonder how long will you remain on stage?

1:08.8

And that's not just me, that's everyone. It's everyone these days.

1:11.8

You've probably heard the stories about hospitals that are over full and simultaneously,

1:20.9

discharging body after body, about the medicine that's in such short supply.

1:26.8

Oxygen too. If I needed oxygen in India right now, what would you tell me to do?

1:34.7

So the first thing would be if you're above certain 92, if you're still in like 93, 94

1:41.6

inch, you won't get a bed, you won't be prioritized.

1:45.4

Shahat means if your oxygen saturation is low, it's got to be really low to get a doctor's attention.

1:52.5

So what would happen first is you will wait till it's like 92 to start panicking

1:58.8

because there's nothing else to do. If it's still dipping, then you start looking for an oxygen cylinder,

2:06.3

a concentrator which you can install at home.

...

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