Raising awareness for the pandemic in India

Upnishad, you are a PhD student in the Biophysics group headed by Daniel Müller. What was your motivation to leave Switzerland on 15 March?
 
I live in a student dorm in Basel and I could not imagine how to practice social distance in this shared accommodation. I mean: I was sharing the kitchen with 20 others, this was not safe. I then discussed my travel plans with Professor Müller. He had some reservations because it was such a long trip to India. But India looked good at that time and there were only a few COVID-19 cases. My parents also have good contacts to doctors. Also, the speaker of the student housing advised people to better head home. I thought: I have no family in Switzerland, the lab was closing, and I had a lot of data to analyse - this computational work I could do from any place in the world! So, I left. The day I left the student dorm I went to the kitchen to grab my food supplies from the fridge - and there was a big reunion with some 20 people going on! On the whole trip I was very cautious: I was wearing a type N95 {hygienic} mask from the moment I left home until I arrived home in Jabalpur, I was using sanitiser and was not touching anything, I did not even go to the toilets on the planes… 

So, where do you think you caught the coronavirus infection and what happened when you arrived? 
 
I arrived in India on 16 March and in Mumbai where I had to change plane, I went to a testing centre for COVID-19. I was a little paranoid because in Jabalpur my Mom was going to pick me up at the airport and she is in one of the risk groups. I told her to practice social distancing, and because I am becoming a scientist she listened to me: in the car we sat separately and at home I isolated myself immediately… Two days later, on 18 March, I showed symptoms: coughing, high fever, headache and body aches. I went to the hospital and was tested positive. I was the first patient in the state of Madhya Pradesh - and this state has a population of some 70 million! I also informed people back in Basel and at D-BSSE. A Basel health officer called me for the contact tracing. I cannot explain where I picked up the virus but I tend to think I picked it up in the student dorm or somewhere in Basel. I later received the information that people I had been in contact with in Basel and at the D-BSSE had been informed but showed no symptoms, which is good of course. 
 
You were treated in the local hospital and because you were kind of a sensation you were approached by the Indian government to help their information campaign…
 
Yes, I stayed in the hospital for 18 days and received a lot of meds: anti-malaria drugs and medication against swine-flu…they followed the entire protocol. I had a sore throat and swollen sentinel lymph nodes…I still have. They locked down the city the day after I was hospitalised, a city of 1.5-million people, closed over night! Authorities reacted very fast: on 19 March all streets were deserted, shops and markets were closed. Because I was the first case in the state of Madhya Pradesh, I was asked by the Indian government to help raise awareness and explain to the people how to behave to prevent the spread of the virus and what to do if people suffer from certain symptoms. People need some direction and should know how to practice cautiousness and follow the guidelines. They should also know how the health care system can help. So, I was speaking in my local language to the population, and the video clip was spread via social media, mainly facebook and instagram. There is a large number of people illiterate in India, about 25% are illiterate. And social media channels are the best ways to reach those illiterate people. The original clip on Navbharat Times Online {posted 26 March via facebook} was viewed some 12 million times and shared over 100’000 times! There is this great problem with fake news in India. You should know: India has 400 news channels; a lot of these channels are regional and they might be the only source of both, information and misinformation, for a few hundred thousands of day labourer. In addition, a lot of fake news are spread by way of WhatsApp. But on WhatsApp India they introduced a limitation: that you can share a particular news item only once. Another problem is that sick people may be stigmatised and they are afraid to lose their business if they are tested positive to COVID-19, it is a different system here in India… And with my video clip I wanted to raise awareness and say: “have no anger on sick people!” There were a few more media houses that contacted me after that, a radio channel from Bangalore, for example.
 
You are now back home in quarantine, what are you doing all day long?
 
I am still very weak and sleep a lot, the meds make me very tired and I will probably have a long nap after our interview… I continue to wear my mask, and I stay in my room and try to not touch anything. Sometimes I go for a walk in the home garden… My quarantine is about 14 days long. They prescribed me high-protein diets, lots of vitamins and liquids. 
I also try to catch up with my studies. I am following two online courses: one on statistical models for computational biology by Niko Beerenwinkel and the other one on single-cell technology by Barbara Treutlein. I could not give my presentation during this {latter} course because I was in the hospital. I also join the regular virtual meetings with my research group as often as I can; the lab and my supervisor is very supportive. 
 
What is your plan: travel back to Switzerland as soon as possible?
 
Yes, I try to get back as quickly as possible, I don’t want to lose time…. Although I use this time to gather new ideas and analyse my data. First results look exciting! I am also planning next experiments. It all depends on the open borders, and the flight schedule… The national lockdown in India started on 23 March and will be lifted on 3 May. I expect to head back to Basel sometime late May. 
 
…and you don’t expect anybody to recognise you from the video clip once you leave your home town in India?
 
No, that’s for sure: I stayed anonymous as I always wore masks during the interviews. But I hope I helped to prevent a pandemic in India; the infection numbers look good, no exponential rate, the measures and lockdown seem to work. We will see…

Many thanks, Upnishad, wishing you a quick recovery and safe return to Basel!