Indian Journalist Tweets About COVID-19 Diagnosis Right Up Until His Death

A north Indian journalist died last month from COVID-19 while tweeting about his diagnosis.

“I am 65 years old. Plus, I have spondylitis, due to which my oxygen has reduced to 52,” read a tweet from Vinay Srivastava. “Nobody at the hospital lab or the doctor is picking up the phone.”

His tweet gained a lot of attention, causing users to reply to him, telling him to have faith. He died without medical care, reflecting the COVID-19 crisis in India at this time. The country is currently exceeding 250,000 cases and 1,760 deaths per day.

According to Indian media outlets, Srivastava, who was from the city of Lucknow, was denied medical care because he lacked the proper paperwork.

“For how long should I keep the faith? Now my oxygen level is 50, and the guard at the Balrampur hospital is not letting me enter,” wrote Srivastava before his death.

The state’s chief minister’s media advisor also responded to his viral tweets, asking for details. Srivastava responded saying, “Now my oxygen is 31 when some will come.” That was his last tweet before he died.

India has the second-highest number of recorded COVID-19 cases, behind the United States. Experts say the recorded number of cases may not be accurate, though, because of the lack of testing access across the country. The country is also struggling to secure and distribute vaccine doses.

In Srivastava’s state of Uttar Pradesh, a critical shortage means only 2.29% of the state’s population has been vaccinated.

Dr. Surya Pratap Singh, an administrative officer in Lucknow, tweeted an image of Srivastava’s covered body and his family grieving nearby.

“The plea of journalist Vinay Srivastava was not heard while he was alive, but even after his death, his family kept waiting for the ambulance. Looking at the example of image/symbol of the government ‘chaos,’ my eyes were filled with tears,” Singh reportedly wrote.

Srivastava’s son, Harshit, described how he pleaded for medical care for his father but was not admitted because he did not have a letter from the Chief Medical Officer. He said he borrowed an oxygen tank from a family member for his father but needed to fill it.

“We ran from pillar to post but could not get an oxygen cylinder for him,” Harshit told The Print. “A relative lent us his own cylinder. I went to get it refilled at midnight. There was a long queue for that too, I had to fight with others to save my father.”