Actors in conversation with Covid-19 survivors: Health experts feel they give hope to many

Celebrities have been interacting with some Covid-19 survivors about dealing with the virus and keeping their cool through recovery.

The Covid-19 crisis has in many ways brought people together. There’s a growing sense of bonding, people are trying to help each other in every possible way. Celebrities are no different. Apart from extending financial support, creating awareness on social media, a few actors took the awareness programme a step ahead through their live and video sessions online with Covid-19 survivors.

While actor Kartik Aaryan spoke to one of Gujarat’s first Covid-19 survivors, Sumiti Singh, actor Varun Dhawan interacted with actor Zoa Morani, who along with her father Karim Morani, and sister Shaza, tested positive. Actor Jacqueline Fernandez chatted with Rita Bachkaniwala, Surat’s first Covid-19 patient, and actor and MP Mimi Chakraborty also did an Instagram live with Monami Biswas, a survivor from West Bengal

The idea is to help people deal with the fear of being infected by the virus and the social stigmas attached to it.

Sharing their journey, both Singh and Bachkaniwala spoke about the symptoms, treatment, and also the support they received from friends and family.

Morani, on the other hand, spoke about feeling better since she visited the hospital, and that “coming to the hospital was the best decision”, highlighting the positive side of the treatment being meted out to patients. While these videos have been watched widely, health experts say they can have a positive effect on the society.

“We’ve never experienced such kind of a pandemic, so there’s lot of panic around... If infected means the end of the road, how one can transmit the virus? Such videos of survivors do give out a message of hope and positivity. Also, attaching the symbol of celebrities who represent the larger aspiration of the society, promotes positivity in this otherwise stressful situation,” says Dr Kushal Jain, Consultant Psychiatrist and Director, Centre for Behavioural Sciences, New Delhi.

Jain shares that some of his patients spoke about these videos and what they got to know from it. “The fact that one can recover from the virus is definitely giving many confidence. There are many who are suffering in silence. Such videos help these people a lot,” he adds.

Psychologist Piyush Dixit agrees, and says, “There’s a fear of death, people are also worried about the consequences of getting infected, whether they would be treated well or not, how their immediate neighbourhood will react if are infected... But these people talking fighting and winning over the virus, the love and support they received, does give a sense of relief to many.”

While Dixit shares that there’s a rise in people dealing with mental issues over the last two-three months, Jain feels the numbers will go up once the lockdown is lifted. He cites that his wife, a psychologist was counselling a woman who stays in US and who is facing tension as her husband had been laid off.

“There’s a fear of what’s going to happen... The economic slowdown and its effect on the society is also adding to the concern. So while these videos are helping people know how to deal with the virus, the concern around economy needs to be addressed soon,” he ends.

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