The 48-hour fight to save parents amid the pandemic in India

At 10:50 a.m. on April 24, Koli boarded a two-hour flight from Pune city, Maharashtra state, western India, to the capital New Delhi, where his father was receiving oxygen at the small medical facility Subh Nursing Home.

A few days ago, Koli’s father called, saying he was having difficulty breathing and his health was deteriorating.

On the flight, he looked back at each family photo.

Ajay Koli (left) takes pictures with his parents in India.

At 1:05 p.m., Koli’s father called his daughter Anju.

In New Delhi, people are racing to find oxygen.

At 1:26 p.m., Koli took a taxi home from the airport to check on the situation of her mother, who was managing on her own at home.

At 1:37 p.m., while on the way home, Koli received a call from a relative saying that his father had just passed away.

At 4:48 p.m., when he arrived at his father’s hospital room, Koli burst into tears.

`Why is his mouth still open? Can someone please help me?`, Koli urgently requested as he sat on the bench next to his father’s body.

By 6 p.m., Koli still did not have the money to pay the $2,400 hospital bill.

At 8:30 p.m., Koli returned home but was in no mood to tell his mother about his father’s death.

At 9:00 a.m. on April 25, after an hour of making a few phone calls, an ambulance drove to Subh Nursing Home Hospital to take Koli’s father’s body to the crematorium.

At 10 a.m., everything at the cremation ground was chaotic.

India has so far reported more than 212,000 deaths from Covid-19, while the country just recorded a record of more than 400,000 new infections per day.

At 12:45 p.m., Koli returned to the hospital to pack up his father’s things.

After returning home, Koli measured her mother’s oxygen levels at 1:15 p.m.

By 8:35 p.m., his post received everyone’s attention.

At 9:30 p.m., he called a number of phone numbers directly.

Some Twitter posts have a hateful tone, because his family belongs to the Dalit class, one of the lowest and most oppressed groups in India.

Ajay Koli treated his mother at home in New Delhi late last month.

Nearly 20 minutes later, Koli received a call from a distant relative.

At 10 p.m., Koli decided to give up trying to find oxygen and take care of her mother at home.

Many days after his father’s death, Koli still hadn’t told his mother about this.

He continued to look at the old photo his parents took a few years after getting married.

Thanh Tam (According to NYTimes)