Twins born during virus lockdown in India are named Corona and Covid by parents who insist they are hoping to ‘ease the anxiety and fear associated with these words’
- Twins were born in Doctor Bhim Rao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital in Raipur
- ‘Covid’ and ‘Corona’ were born in early hours of March 27 by caesarean section
- Parents Vinay and Preeti Verma wanted to assuage fear and anxiety around virus
- Pair were stopped by police at checkpoints on route to the hospital, mother says
A couple in India have named their new twins after the coronavirus pandemic and as a symbol of triumph over hardship during the lockdown.
‘Covid’ and ‘Corona’ were born in Doctor Bhim Rao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital in Raipur, India, in the early hours of March 27.
Parents Vinay and Preeti Verma, of Chhattisgarh, said they chose the unusual names for their newborns to assuage the fear and anxiety associated with the words and to make the birth all the more memorable.
However, the couple have also said they may rename their children later on.
Twins Covid (boy) and Corona (girl)
‘We have named them Covid (boy) and Corona (girl) for now,’ said mother Preeti , 27, to the Press Trust of India.
Brother and sister Covid and Corona were born during the height of a three-week lockdown in India.
Mother Preeti went into labour late on March 26.
Husband Vinay summoned for a special service ambulance for pregnant women in India launched during the crisis, according to the Hindustan Times.
But another report in The New Indian Express claims the couple rode to the hospital on Vinay’s motorcycle because there were no vehicles ready.
The couple were reportedly stopped by police at checkpoints due to travel restrictions imposed, but they allowed them to proceed owing to Preeti’s condition.
‘As no vehicular movement was allowed on roads due to the lockdown, we were stopped by police at various places but they let us go after noticing my condition,’ Preeti told the Hindustan Times.
‘I was wondering what would happen in the hospital as it was midnight, but fortunately doctors and other staff were very cooperative,’ she added.
Preeti, who already has a two-year-old daughter, said her relatives were also battling to reach the hospital, but ‘could not make it as bus and train services were stopped due to the lockdown.’
The twins were born by caesarean section in the early hours of March 27, ‘within 45 minutes of arrival’ at the hospital.
They weighed 2.9 kg and 2.7 kg.
Speaking about why they chose to name their newborns ‘Covid’ and ‘Corona’, Preeti said: ‘The delivery happened after facing several difficulties and therefore me and my husband wanted to make the day memorable.
‘Indeed the virus is dangerous and life-threatening but its outbreak made people focus on sanitation, hygiene and inculcate other good habits. Thus, we thought about these names.
‘When the hospital staff also started calling the babies as Corona and Covid, we finally decided to name them after the pandemic,’ she added.
Shubhra Singh, a public relations officer at Doctor Bhim Rao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, said both mother and newborns have since been discharged and were in ‘good health’.
India currently has some 3,588 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and 99 recorded deaths.
Around 230 people have since recovered from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.