With the Corona Virus outbreak once again creating havoc in our lives and case statistics going wild day by day it has now become of utmost importance for all of us to join hands and to provide help, support and guidance to each other and to those around us in all the possible ways. This post is a compilation of currently available Covid-19 resources, information and details that can be used to help combat the pandemic we all are fighting together. In this post, you will find information regarding supply of oxygen cylinders, plasma, hospital beds, ambulances etc., and tips on covid-19 vaccine, home treatment , protection of mental health, Covid-19 related scams and much more . Although currently there is an ocean of information circulating throughout the Internet, I have tried to gather as much verified information as possible after undertaking my own research and have shared it here to avoid any kind of confusion. I just hope it helps!
Covid-19 Resources and guidance:
Find the contact details of various wards of Mumbai for Covid-19 bed and ambulance requirements. BMC has clearly stated that the Ward War Rooms are the only ones who can allocate a Covid-19 bed at a hospital in Mumbai. Any other parallel windows shall only add to the chaos and confusion so please refrain from creating one and follow the below numbers to get admissions into treatment facilities/hospitals:
Which one is your ward war room?
Statewise – COVID-19 Hospitals/Facilities:
Some NGO’s, companies & outlets providing relief
1) Ketto (Mission Oxygen- Helping Hospitals Save Lives)
Location: Pan India
Ketto was founded in December 2012 by Varun Sheth, Bollywood actor Kunal Kapoor, and Zaheer Adenwala. It has since evolved, becoming Asia’s most trusted and visited crowdfunding platform. At the moment, several live online events on the Ketto website are raising funds to help the underprivileged communities, hospitals and even ground level individuals in the fight against corona. Donors shall also get tax benefit under Income Tax Act upon making donation in some of the fundraising events. Check them out here
2) Hemkunt Foundation
Location: Gurugram, Mumbai
The Gurgaon-based NGO Hemkunt Foundation was founded by Mr. Irinder Singh Ahluwalia in the year 2010. In such trying times, this noble foundation isn’t wasting a single minute and is tirelessly working around the clock at the ground level to ensure immediate help to critical Covid-19 patients by providing oxygen cylinders free of cost. The best part is that they believe in spreading countless smiles while also ensuring their team the motivation, zeal and enthusiasm to continue to help everyone grow together on a global level! Check them out here
3) DHOONDH
Location: Pan India
Dhoondh was founded by Delhi-based entrepreneur Adwitiya Mal along with his London-based friend & Software consultant Mukul Pahwa. They connects current COVID patients with recovered COVID patients who wish to donate plasma. All you have to do is register your details, wait for the NGO to find your match and connect. It’s that easy!
4) The Uncut Team
Location: Pan India
A student organization founded by Suhani Daruka and Tia Garg has compiled a bunch of resources like hospital beds, food drives, plasma, blood banks etc. state wise all over the country. Their team is constantly updating the contact details, names, information as you read this post. Check out their resources here
5) The Plasma Pump
Location: Mumbai
Plasma Pump launched a Blood Plasma Project, and collaborated with 8 Rotaract and Rotary Clubs, various Blood Donation Organizations and Pharmaceutical Entities to create a database of COVID-19 recovered people who would like to voluntarily donate their plasma for a COVID-19 patient.
6) Twitter
Location: Pan India
Twitter India recently modified its advanced search option to help coronavirus patients and their families search for Covid-19 resources on its platform. You can find latest information and access to available resources being updated every minute as you read this. You can find people from all over India sharing information on hospital bed availability, medicines and injections, medical oxygen suppliers, plasma donors etc. with
(i) twitter website: https://covid19-twitter.in/ that lets you search for beds, oxygen, vaccine, Remdesivir and other medicines in your city of preference. This self-explanatory and easy to use website provides information in just a few clicks. Isn’t that amazing?
(ii) typing the following in Twitter search bar: “min_faves:20 {add what you are looking eg: oxygen or plasma etc.} {add your city} verified”. For eg: min_faves:20 oxygen Pune verified
(iii) #Covid19IndiaHelp hastag
in Twitter’s advanced search option can help you filter for fields like a specific hashtag, time period, location or Tweets from a particular account thereby helping you customize your search and narrow down on tweets that will be the most helpful for you.
7) The Lunchbox Project
Location: Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune
Lunchbox project is started by an enthusiastic group of young volunteers who believes in connecting COVID affected families to verified meal services and NGOs in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune. Their main intention is not only to help the covid affected families but to provide them easy access to verified food service providers in the area. All you have to do is to search a food provider in your locality and contact them directly to place an order. You have the option to choose the cuisine of your choice, the price range and not just that, some of the meal services even customizes your meal if you make any special requests for the same. All this at a reasonable and affordable cost, some of them are even free. What more can someone ask for?
Website: http://www.lunchboxproject.in/
COVID-19 Home Treatment:
Steps to register for a COVID-19 vaccine:
Apart from the 45+ and 60+ age groups, the persons falling within the 18+ age group are now eligible for anti-Covid vaccines from May 1, 2021. Those looking to get vaccinated will need to mandatorily register online on the Co-win platform to get their dose in the following manner:
- Register Yourself – Register using your Mobile no. or Aadhaar no. or any other Identity documents mentioned below
- Choose Covid-19 Vaccine Location – Select your nearby Covid-19 Vaccine Center for vaccination
- Confirm Your Slot – Book your slot to Get Covid-19 Vaccine.
Any of the below mentioned ID with Photo may be produced at the time of registration:
- Aadhaar Card
- Driving License
- Health Insurance Smart Card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour
- Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Job Card
- Official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs
- PAN Card
- Passbooks issued by Bank/Post Office
- Passport
- Pension Document
- Service Identity Card issued to employees by Central/ State Govt./ Public Limited Companies
- Voter ID
- People with comorbidities will have to carry the certificate of comorbidities, in the format shared here by a registered medical practitioner.
Covaxin v/s Covishield
How to try and protect and maintain your mental health?
It is rightly said that ‘when the going gets tough, then the tough gets going’ and we all humans are currently surfing our way through these tough times. Wearing mask, frequent sanitizing and washing hands and maintaining social distance surely are the hot topics of every conversation but what most of us are not talking about is our own mental health. How to try and maintain our mental health in these trying times?
- Have a routine and set short-term goals – continue with your work from home, plan regular calls/video calls with friends and relatives, play online multiplayer games, cook delicious recipes and make time for regular breaks if working from home and/or home-schooling;
- Exercise with your family – Discover online exercise classes, Do yoga or meditation, the group activity should keep everyone motivated and upbeat throughout the day. Compile a reading list and set yourself a challenge, plan themed movie nights in and learn a new skill.;
- Check sleeping habits – sleep is essential for our mental health, so keep track of how many hours you sleep and practice good bedtime habits such as having a hot bath and a warm milky drink to help you relax and unwind. Avoid drinking alcohol or smoking tobacco before sleeping;
- Check eating habits – Do you want to feel sluggish? If your answer is no then it is vital to enjoy a balanced diet packed with plenty of energy and mood-boosting foods such as fruit and foods rich in vitamin C and to avoid caffeinated drinks and sodas that will keep you feeling bloated and groggy;
- Stay away from social media – Easier said than done but zone out and watch something, read something and stay away from all social media is of utmost importance if you feel overwhelmed reading about Covid – 19 resources and/or fed up of seeing negative news and appeals.
- Reach out for help as early as possible – seek help with things like debt, finances or practical support with shopping for food or medicines. Worrying about these will have a negative effect on your mental health.
If you still feel more anxious or hopeless and everything happening around you to be over-whelming then do not, I repeat do not at any cost refrain yourself from therapy or counselling at the hands of a professional nearest to you or to seek out any sort of help. Whatever you are feeling is valid so break the stigma around it already! Protect your mental health.
Top COVID- 19 scams and tips to avoid them:
Fraudulent charities/NGO’s:
For as long as the pandemic is around there are high chances of people coming together and forming fraudulent committees or NGO’s for seeking donations for Covid-19 pandemic. Fake charity and donation websites will try to take advantage of one’s good will, especially during such trying times. Hence, before donating anything, especially money ensure the authenticity of the organization/NGO and do your research before donating and providing any information.
Remdesivir/Tocilizumab/Fake vaccine/Hospital bed/Oxygen cylinder scam
Remdesivir needs to be kept between 2-8 Celsius at all times. Hence, even if you get the injection from the black market, it would have probably lost its efficacy due to incorrect maintenance of cold storage. Do a Twitter search and Google search on the phone number and account number provided to you. Check if there are other people complaining about the fraud online. If you have never spoken to the seller on phone or in person, that’s a red flag. Ask your doctor for verified sources of the medicine. Do not pay the money in advance and pay once you receive the desired medicine. Remdesivir that’s has an MRP of 2-3.5K is being sold for 10K to 50K a vial.
Some of them posing as verified agents of the medicine take the money and deliver fake vaccine thus leading to death of several Covid-19 patients. Read news here
Not just that scammers are duping the needy people under the pretext of providing hospital beds and oxygen cylinders. They convince you to pay money in advance and promise to deliver the oxygen cylinder or allot hospital bed. Once you pay this number, either that number is switched off or your number gets blocked. Please be cautious before making any such transaction. Read news here
Malicious website and Phishing emails:
Several websites providing Covid-19 relates resources have cropped out that claim to provide medicine, oxygen, hospital bed etc. These websites look authentic thus fooling the people in need. The ONLY thing they want is your credentials, bank account information, or to infect your devices with malware. So be quite careful before handing out any sort of information, especially your bank details on such websites.
Scammer might also resort to sending emails in an attempt to convince you to either reveal sensitive information (i.e. bank account information), or to open a malicious link or attachment, allowing them to potentially access your system and obtain the required and sensitive data. These emails could be regarding vaccine registration, providing covid-19 medicines, oxygen cylinders, hospital beds etc. Hence, do not trust these emails blindly and make sure to verify them before opening any attached links or revealing sensitive information.
I hope the provided information and resources shall be helpful to you to fight against Covid-19. The research to update this post from time to time as and when I find more verified information is a constant process and is something that I am constantly working on. Meanwhile, if you readers have any verified sources or beneficial information with you then please feel free to speak to me and I’ll update the post accordingly.
These are just tips and research done by me. This post shall be constantly updated as and when the Author finds more verified information. The author does not guarantee for them to be 100% effective. Readers are informed that any action you take upon the information on this website is strictly at your own risk and the Author shall not be held liable for any losses or damages in connection with the use of the information provided in this post. Reader’s discretion is strictly advised.