Social Media Influencers Turn COVID Information Saviours

Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook are full of posts of people asking for help because of COVID-19 as cases continue to rise, but it has also brought out the best in people as many others have started to post links and leads to help people find medicines, food, and information in these difficult times. The unprecedented surge has placed tremendous strain on healthcare services and resources across the country. As patients scramble for lack of hospital beds and medicines, several organisations and social media users are curating essential information relating to blood banks, oxygen cylinder suppliers as well as a list of available hospitals and volunteers in an area.

To make it easier for people to find help, we have curated a list of social media handles that could prove helpful to those in need, from the official ones to individuals.

MyGov

This Government of India website will give you an exhaustive list of details ranging from the guidelines for vaccination to the stories of how people have battled and defeated the disease in the past. In terms of information, the website has the list of helpline numbers for all states and Union Territories as well as caseload specifics. There is also a live helpdesk in case of any doubts. All information regarding curfew and lockdowns across states can be accessed here.

Covidwin

This website is a one-stop site for details of all the resources you may need access to in case you or someone you know is battling COVID-19. This includes details of hospital beds, plasma or blood banks, ambulance, equipment, testing centres, food and emergency services as well as medicine and oxygen availability. You can look up any detail you need and add verified information that you have found. You can also volunteer your time to add information from your city or town. There is also a list of official government links of some states on the site.

Covid Help

This app created by a Twitter user who goes by the handle @dakuwithchaku, gives you a comprehensive look at the availability of resources across cities. With subcategories such as plasma, food, oxygen, hospital beds, and ambulance, you can browse through your requirement and it will lead to the related data. The same user has also shared the data on a Google spreadsheet.

TII Covid Resources

This Instagram account is also working towards collating details regarding COVID-19 resources. Similarly, another handle, Pandemic Relief List India on Instagram, has also begun to collate data. In their first Instagram post, they wrote, “We understand that there's a huge burden on the healthcare infrastructure and everyone is in need but try and avoid DMing us requests/SOS calls (for now) as the load on DMs is already heavy and the information we compile should help with the emergency ideally”.

Ready To Fight COVID

Pharma giant Dr Reddy's Laboratories has launched an official website dedicated to information regarding the availability of Remdesivir. The readytofightcovid website lists all hospitals and pharmacies in cities across India that stock the drug, along with their details. It also has a 24/7 helpline number, 1800-266-708, that one can dial for all doubts related to COVID-19 medication.

These are just some of the accounts that have been tweeting and sharing information about COVID-19 and helping with relief. Several actors and social media influencers, including Masaba Gupta and Kusha Kapila, have also been updating their social media accounts with details on COVID-19 resources.

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