Support thread for Indians?

[Frequentflier]

I wondered if any Indians or Indian origin people would like a thread to vent their anxieties. Half of my close family is in India, the other half in the US. Obviously I will not be able to see any of them for the foreseeable future, unless they are at death's door. It would be good to have a thread where I am not told that I asked for this by choosing to live in another country...

On the plus side, nearly all my family above 45 got two jabs, and while a few have got Covid, they have recovered quickly. Worried about the ones below 45 though.

I guess not. :)

I'm not Indian or of Indian origin, but would like to offer support and empathy anyway if it's not inappropriate to do so. I feel for you and your family, and your fellow countrymen and women. May things improve swiftly.

I am of Indian origin and I totally understand the anxiety you're going through as I am in the same boat.

Thanks @MistressoftheDarkSide, not at all inappropriate. I have been a bit snippy on MN lately because the Indian variant has led to a whole subcontinent being tarred with the same brush, mostly because of the two populist leaders ( Johnson and Modi) who unwisely let travel go ahead. I so hope the variant does not spread.

@SatyajitRayFan Have all your family been vaccinated? My elderly in-laws have yet to get their second dose, as supply is very lumpy and insufficient in some parts of the country. More or less constant worry for us. I suppose I should be thankful that they are at least willing to be vaccinated.

I’m not Indian but sending support it must be such a worrying time for you and such a difficult time to have family overseas. It’s great that your older relatives have had their vaccinations and I hope all of your family come through this ok and things start to improve.

I am not of Indian origin but I have friends and colleagues who are, some of whom live there.
They have been sharing their stories with me and my heart goes out to them and anyone else affected.

@Frequentflier Thanks for asking about my family They have all had their second doses now. They are being very careful and not getting out and about. What I hear is that vaccinations are all in full swing so people have to patiently wait and take all precautions till the majority are vaccinated.

Also I heard that imposing lockdowns was very difficult in India. While we all love blaming politicians irrespective of which part of the world we live in, sometimes it's just the general public who refuse to adhere to guidelines which happened in India according to my family there. Once the strict lockdown ended, general people started behaving as if Covid never happened and it got the country to where it is now.

As the vaccines are working pretty well with the Indian variant, let's keep on hoping for the best and for the worst to be over soon.

I’m of Indian origin.
Mom and sister - had 1 dose of vaccination
In laws - 1 dose
Dad - none and also potential to undergo heart surgery

I’m begging anxious but what can I do? They are being careful but sister goes to work in an office -

@Frequentflier I hope your elderly in laws get their vaccine soon. I hope they have family and friends to help them out to get to and from vaccination centres.

I hope everyone's family is ok.

Thinking of these variants I dont see why its wrong to associate Covid with China but then can keep refering to variants for other locations, such as India.

How do we know that this virus hasnt mutated in multiple places in the same way?

@Suranjeep

I hope everyone's family is ok.

Thinking of these variants I dont see why its wrong to associate Covid with China but then can keep refering to variants for other locations, such as India.

How do we know that this virus hasnt mutated in multiple places in the same way?

I know right ?

Thank you all so much for the responses. I feel a little better for venting. There is definitely a sort of "survivor guilt". I am grateful to be in the UK and receive vaccines easily, and for DS to lead a somewhat normal life which his cousins in India are not. But I also feel very sad for so many of my friends and relatives.

@SatyajitRayFan I totally agree that imposing lockdown is very difficult in India, partly because it is so poor, partly because it is so huge, and yes of course from Dec 2020 to March 2021, people definitely behaved as if Covid never happened. It is such a tough dilemma. I told my own elderly mother to behave as if Covid was still around, so she continued to stay inside and not meet anyone, but she has now been isolated from her social circle for over a year, and I can see the impact on her mental health.

That said, I think the Modi government should certainly have ordered more vaccines and not got so bloody complacent. Anyway, it is a long and complicated discussion. i worry that the vaccine pace is so slow that India won't recover until 2022, and ofc I can't visit them:(

@QuietBatPeople1 I so hope your family gets second doses. There is indeed not much we can do except convince family to get vaccines and isolate as much as possible.

@Suranjeep yes. am worried that Indians may become the new Chinese, with the emphasis on the Indian variant. At the same time, I understand the concerns of British people, though I may be a little self-defensive. I am hoping for solid proof that mutations don't matter and that vaccines conquer all:)

Much sympathy and support. I'm not of Indian origin but all my family is in the US and I know many of you must be so worried about loved ones far away.