Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj
Video Producer: Hera Khan
'13-Year-Old Girl Loses Both Her Parents Due to Coronavirus'This is a headline from a city that has emerged as one of the biggest hotspots in the country. We are talking about Maharashtra's Pune.
On 28 April, the number of COVID-19 cases in the city stood at 1,174, but by 15 July this numbers had jumped to 44,000 and by 21 July, the cases increased to 57,000. Which means that around 13,000 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Pune within just six days. At least 1,400 people have died due to the disease in Pune.
The situation is so bad that a lockdown had to be reimposed in Pune till 23 July.
A family lost three of its members in six days. All three of them were brothers. On 8 July, all three were admitted to a hospital in Pune's Chinchwad area. The three of them lived with a family of 18 members. One of the family members had reportedly contracted COVID-19, which later infected the three brothers as well.
Soon after, they were admitted to the hospital on 8 July, one of the brothers complained of breathing difficulty and was immediately shifted to the ICU. But even after being admitted, their condition remained serious. As per the doctors, they were given oxygen too.
The youngest brother, who was 56 years old, was the first to succumb to the disease on 12 July. Soon after, the second brother passed away. The eldest brother died on 18 July.
The case of the girl who lost both her parents to the disease in Pimpri-Chinchwad has also left people shaken. The couple was admitted to the YCM hospital in Chinchwad.
The wife died in the hospital but the husband was discharged. However, even he died a few days after going home. The reason behind his death is still not known. The reports are awaited.
But the big question is – when there were hardly any cases in April, how did Pune see such a huge a spike in the number of cases by July?
The allegations made against local authorities suggest that the lockdown wasn't imposed properly. Also, that not enough tests were done. And now, after Mumbai and Chennai, Pune has emerged as a coronavirus hotspot.
Seeing how COVID-19 cases are spiking in the city, the government is even discussing extending the lockdown.
However, business organisations have also written to the government, stating that imposing the lockdown again will leave them with no option but to fire their staff.
The important question then is – after the coronavirus spike, will the government pay attention to the demands of these businesspersons? Or will it not abstain from making tough decisions?
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