Mukul Garg lives with his family and extended family in one house. Four generations stayed together when the lockdown happened. They were 17 in the house, with an age range of three months to 90 years. Despite being cautious about following the measures, many contracted the coronavirus.
It is common for generations of families to live in one house in India. Based on statistics, 42 percent of the people are nonnuclear families.
Eleven members of the Garg family tested positive in just a few days. Mukul's 90-year-old bedridden grandfather and 87-year-old grandmother got infected with the virus from the older generation. His 62-year-old father and 60-year-old uncle also got infected, and both have diabetes and high blood pressure.
Their family members were all very vigilant in following the measures to prevent getting infected with the virus. Everyone stayed inside, and only one came out to buy necessities for the whole household. Mukul said that they make sure to sanitize the person once he comes back from the public places.
One of Mukul's uncles started having a fever and feeling weak in April. They thought it was only the flu until his aunt Anita fell ill too. Mukul's parents and grandmother followed through. Meena Devi, Mukul's mom, said that they were confident because they were careful, but everyone came down with a fever.
Anita started having difficulty breathing five days after having a fever. Mukul said that after his aunt tested positive, everything came crashing down. Anita's son, Abhishek, said that panic struck hard when his mom's condition worsened. They sent her to a private hospital.
Some were asymptomatic
Mukuland Abhishek's 90-year-old grandfather showed no symptoms but tested positive. Beena, their 87-year-old grandmother, suffered from fever, cough, and headache for a month, so they took her to the hospital. A cousin, 29, and his wife tested negative. Four children below six years old either tested negative or were not tested at all.
Since Mukul trained as a doctor before joining his dad's business, he and other younger adults took care of the family's wellbeing. His mom, Meena, experienced fever, cough, headache, and body pain for two weeks. She spent almost one month alone in her room as she listened to devotional music and prayed for the entire family.
Mukul's aunt Anita came home after ten days of confinement in the hospital. Neighbors all clapped and rang bells from their balconies as she walked past them. The four generations of the Garg family threw flower petals.
Unsure how they contracted the virus
The family is still unsure about how they caught coronavirus. They speculate that it was all his uncle who first fell ill and caught the virus. However, they doubt it since there were no cases from the area.
In early June, the family reunited over dinner after they all tested negative. Abhishek said that it "was an amazing feeling," being able to hug his cousins' children. With all the happiness, the family received painful news. In recent weeks, two distant relatives died of the coronavirus.
Other related stories:
Mom of Triplets Dies After Second Hospitalization Due to COVID-19
COVID-19: Nurse Returns to the Frontline a Few Days After Surgery
