There are several takeaways from a report in this paper citing how Dr Vasant Shenoy, former president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and well known General Physician (GP) is recovering from COVID-19. The first is the havoc that rumours on social media can wreak. The report states how gossip mills went into overdrive about Dr Shenoy, saying he had passed away, while all the while he was alive, battling COVID-19 in a hospital in the western suburbs.

His family was peppered with condolence messages. They had to actually issue a common message to all that Dr Shenoy was very much alive. All this was happening while they were battling with the stress that comes with a family member being afflicted.