Dr Dimple Arora Chawla, a dentist, was seven months pregnant with her second child when she tested positive for coronavirus in April. Two weeks later, the 34-year-old lost her unborn baby. The next day, the doctor too lost her battle to the virus. She leaves behind her three-year-old son and her husband.
Days before her death, the Delhi-based woman had put out a video message to her family and friends, urging them not to take the deadly virus lightly.
"I am making this video with great difficulty. I really want to tell each and everyone who knows me, please don't take corona so lightly. Very bad, very bad symptoms. I am not able to speak. But I really want to convey my message to all," she says in a two minute 20 second-video recorded on April 17.
"Please wear mask. Whenever you go outside, whenever you interact with people, outside and at home, for your near ones' and dear ones' safety," Dr Dimple Arora Chawla says.
Dr Dimple Arora Chawla leaves behind her three-year-old son and her husband.
The video was shared on social media by her husband, with thousands of people posting messages of condolences.
Speaking with NDTV, Ravish Chawla said he was honouring his wife's last wishes, which was to spread awareness, so that no one takes the pandemic lightly.
"It was in her innate nature to inform people about what precautions they can take. So she had actually made this for our family and friends. But her untimely demise made me post this message to the world so that the world can know that you should not take Covid so lightly," the grieving husband said poignantly.
"It was her message and you should be wearing a mask not just for yourself but for the elderly or pregnant women... That was my wife's message. I just want people to know about it."
Narrating his wife's battle with Covid, Mr Chawla said she her oxygen level started dipping on April 21, 10 days after she tested positive. She was immediately taken to hospital where she was given Remdesivir and administered two rounds of plasma therapy, Mr Chawla said, adding that her condition started to dip after that.
Dr Dimple Arora Chawla, or Dipika, has her family and friends called her, went into labor on April 25. An ultrasound showed that the baby had no heartbeat. "The baby had died in the womb. Initially, I didn't tell her. But the doctors said we will need to get her to do a caesarean and abort the baby so that it does not harm her," her husband said.
"She was very brave and strong." The young woman, however, died the next morning.
Pregnant and lactating women have not been part of any COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial in India so far and thus, the government has advised that these two groups should not be administered the vaccine.
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