Bollywood has risen to address the increasing cases of Covid 19 casesin India. Bhumi Pednekar who has recently recovered from Covid herself has left no stone unturned to tweet and retweet help wherever required in terms of facilities.
Salman Khan, who is known for his philanthropic efforts and initiatives, recently posted multiple videos on his social media accounts which show the actor and his friends, actress Jacqueline Fernandes, Lulia Vintour, Waluscha De Sousa, Niketan Madhok, Kamaal Khan and others sending ration to the needy.
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Using social media to help source – hospital beds, medicines, plasma and oxygen across the country, Bhumi has been working with a core team of 100 volunteers to reach out to as many patients and their families as possible. When we get on a call with Pednekar, we ask her how is amassing strength so early into her recovery despite battling the dreaded covid fatigue. “We don’t have a choice. Our country is in a state of war. I recently went through a similar experience where I was looking for plasma for my mother. And with all the leads I had, it wasn’t the easiest. We managed after making personal requests to donors, sent over my car. We got lucky honestly. My family fell sick at a time when there was breathing space in the health sector. I started getting requests on social media. I started with sharing requests on social media. 6 days ago I connected with Viraj Ghelani (influencer) and a few more of them who are working pan-India in offering redressal.”
Working a group of 100 comprising students, housewives, employed professionals who are helping out each other in offering leads, the actress says that the team catches up every night to take a lowdown of the day. “The volunteers are working round the clock. I am up till 5 am and start by 9 am everyday but our WhatsApp group never stops working. The number of requests to the resource available is out of proportion. It is heartbreaking and overwhelming when we find resources a few hours later and the person is gone. Verification of data is a big challenge we are facing currently. There are 30 requests for one resource at any given point of time. I want to request people to donate plasma, especially men.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas has been using her social media throughout the week to find hospital beds, plasma, ventilators and even home-cooked meals.
Sushmita Sen sourced oxygen cylinders for the smaller hospitals in Delhi. After facing issues with delivery, the actor used her social media clout to find transportation.
Always on the horizon to provide help, Sonu Sood got a critically ill 25-year-old patient airlifted in an ambulance from Nagpur
Sonam K Ahuja is using her social media to educate people about Plasma donations, combating the virus and more.