Angst, panic and stigma concomitant to COVID-19 deceased.

The author (entrusted with the charge of management of COVID-19 deceased) walked in at entrance of mortuary, for clearance of the body of a 6-month-old COVID-19 positive deceased child who had expired with congenital malformations of Atrial septal Defect, Ventricular Septal Defect, Patent Ductus Arteriosus and Coarctation of Aorta. As I comprehended on one hand the unbearable pain of parents about departing of a family member, whereas on the other hand there will be an unprecedented fear and stigma of having or not having a last departing glimpse of deceased soul. I briefly contemplated entering mortuary without a mask but thought better of it; I wouldn’t want to catch the flu, I remember thinking. Thinking over this, as I entered, it was reported that family members have been quarantined being a close contact. And, adding more to my amusement even family members of the deceased have refused to see this departed soul. This led me to think over that an invisible RNA virus of 125 nm size approximately has made communities, nations and even family members so arid to maintain a ‘social distance’ to each other. Usually, over the death of someone throughout history and across different cultures, there is a wide variety of rituals connected. These rituals entail coming together to mourn the deceased at the time of the committal– and to offer support and sympathy to the bereaved and to provide succour at this time. ‘Rituals give purpose to action and always serve to connect us to something else, generally something greater than our own solitary selves.’

Further, being a newer disease there are knowledge gaps going on about how the body of a confirmed COVID-19 be disposed. This high contagiousness and rapid spread of CoV2 has made us to draw harsh guidelines that even if family wishes to view the deceased, they may be permitted only with universal precautions (Sanche et al., 2020). Religious rituals like reciting of religious scripts, sprinkling holy water and other such last rites are allowed that doesn’t permit touching the deceased body (Vidua et al., 2020). Although, in certain cases, families wished to take home the deceased for certain last traditional rituals or local practices, but were denied in compliance to laid down guidelines, so as to minimize the risk of getting infected. Even the courts have responded to petitions filed, that cremation or burial, should be done with due respect and solemness. And, as this traditional belief is deep rooted and has an emotional and sentimental aspect, henceforth, family members of deceased should not be deprived of the right to perform the last rites, subject to taking all necessary precautionary measures. But, practically, in true sense panic has gone so deep that very often families deny for these demeanors with protective gears. On the other hand, healthcare workers (HCW), so-called frontline warriors, bound or not bound by duty or on humanitarian ground, have to touch, pack and do all the needful conducts and have to fight the battle against this invisible enemy. But, I wonder: How long to fight this pandemic is still an unanswered question worldwide?

As a HCW I think, being at high risk for exposure, Am I resistant to acquire the infection, or am I asymptomatic carrier of the disease — potentially spreading it to others or one of the probable acceptor of the infection in hospitals is not an unexplainable question (Asitha JayIawardena, 2020). But, it is a fact that HCW around the world have contracted COVID-19 during patient management and several of them have even lost their lives. Now, it is being stated that it is ultimately HCW workers who have to protect themselves from exposure to infections by getting trained themselves and taking all precautions. And, anticipating the inclination in number of cases, one of the foremost and imperative prerequisite is to conserve these ‘healthcare workforce’ and ‘resources’ (Megan L.ORanney and Valerie Griffeth, 2020).

Throughout the world HCW are finding themselves in such crisis situations where testing positive for COVID-19 is a predestined ramification of the work they do. For a moment, I saw a gleaming hope illuminating out of this seemingly impossible situation. With this naive optimism, every morning I return back to frontline to continue the ongoing fight with this unseen, unwanted enemy. This previously preposterous shift in my own way of thinking echoes the chaos and rapid shifts in strategy that our being made to fight against this obfuscated and imperceptible beast. Like many other fellow colleagues, there is a ongoing uncertainty about what tomorrow will bring, yet, with affirmative aspirations me and my colleagues go back to our own fight that this glimmer of hope will enlighten the world before long.

Financial disclosure

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors report no declarations of interest.