In his recent blog post on Saturday, 25 July, Amitabh Bachchan wrote about the effects of coronavirus and the treatment on the mental health of patients.
The actor was admitted to Nanavati Hospital on 11 July after he and his son, actor Abhishek Bachchan tested positive for COVID-19. In his blog post, he wrote about staying in the isolation ward and how it feels 'not seeing another human for weeks.'
Amiatbh Bachchan started his blog with these, "In the darkness of the night and the shiver of the cold room, I sing... eyes shut in attempted sleep... there is no one about or around... and the freedom to be able to do that will extend I know if in the will of the almighty there is release."
"There is one note of matter that seems trivial but it is a factor .. the mental conditions and the effects of the disease... clinically, medically all that is known to be effective, yet very little is known that remains hidden unseen and not visible... matters of the mind often are not" he added.
"The mental state sparks from the stark reality that the COVID-19 patient, put in hospitalised isolation, never gets to see another human...for weeks."Amitabh Bachchan
Writing about the routine visits of healthcare workers suited in PPE kits with no expression or smile visible, he said, "There are the nurses and the doctors on visit and medicine care... but they ever appear in PPE units... you never get to know who they are, what are their features, expressions because they are forever covered in the units for protection... all white beings about... almost robotic in their presence... they deliver what is prescribed and leave... leave because longer stay has the fear of contamination."
After Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan, Aishawarya Rai Bachchan and daughter Aaradhya also tested positive for the virus. While the mother-daughter were in home quarantine for almost a week, later they too were moved to Nanavati Hospital.
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