A Conversation with Dr. Agni Kumar Bose: Takeaways from the Front Line Against COVID-19 and His Own Battle with the Virus

Last Tuesday we hosted Dr. Agni Kumar Bose for an AMA session with the whole team at inFeedo. We can’t thank him enough for taking out the time for this, especially in the wake of his recovery from COVID-19. 

Dr. Agni Kumar Bose is currently posted on COVID duty in the Emergency Medical Ward in Mumbai, where he caught and has since recovered from COVID-19.

He completed his MBBS from Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and Sion Hospital, Mumbai. Post that, he secured an All India Rank of 97 with a percentile of 99.927 in the All India Post Graduate Medical Entrance Examination (NEET)

Dr. Agni helped us bust 3 myths about COVID-19 and suggested 3 hacks to help us get through this pandemic. 

3 Myths about Covid-19

1.Reusable cloth masks are as effective as the surgical masks: #FALSE

Reusable cloth masks may make you feel better about saving the environment; however they don’t save you from the virus. The low thread count and space between them allows the virus to get through.

Solution: Go for simple surgical disposable masks that you throw away use.

2.If you get Covid-19 once you don’t get it again: #FALSE

You can get Covid-19 even after recovering! Your body builds antibodies but this doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll develop them before being reinfected

3.Wearing Masks and Gloves gives you 100% protection from Covid-19. #FALSE

Even a hazmat suit doesn’t guarantee 100% protection. However, it is extremely important to practice proper hygiene when it comes to washing your hands and avoiding touching your face as much as possible.

3 Hacks that can help you and the people around you.

1.Train and educate your house help with regular updates about Covid-19 and

While we are busy forwarding informational WhatsApp videos about COVID-19 to your friends and family we often forget people who do not have the right means of information. Do conduct short training sessions for your house help, watchmen, guards, drivers, and make sure they pass on the right information to their circle. 

2.Fix your glasses to prevent you from touching them/pushing them back frequently

Anyone who wears glasses can relate to the fact that they need to pushed back every once in a while, however, a trip to the optician is given little importance. Touching your face makes you prone to carrying the virus into your system, so just get your glasses fixed! 

3.Create an emergency room if you can.

In the context of the rising number of cases in India, we are soon not going to have enough beds for people who will be infected with the virus. If your society or building has a clubhouse or gaming room you could convert it into an emergency COVID-19 ward with an oxygen cylinder for when things inevitably get out of hand in India. 

We ended the AMA by discussing the stigma around Covid-19 and how we treat individuals who have it. We can all agree that it is scary to get Covid-19 but it’s scarier to be on the news for being Covid-19 positive. You’ll inevitably receive a wave of phone calls that stress you out even more. 

You can offer help to individuals who are in the hospital quarantined by: 

1. Sending board games; because staring at a phone screen all day can get boring too. 
2. Sharing new apps/ websites that could be refreshing. 
3. Sending home-cooked food their way since the food at the hospital is pretty basic.

Most important, ask them what they need instead of assuming what they need.

Towards the end of this session, the entire team and I were filled with gratitude for all the healthcare professionals out there who have stood up tall to protect us all. 

You can find the full video here: https://youtu.be/S3Rv7ZluH4I

If you know any healthcare professionals, please do send them a thank you note.