Twins born during lockdown named ‘Corona and Covid’ in India

A couple in India has named their twins, Corona and Covid amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

Preeti and Vinay Verma, the parents of the twins welcomed them saying they chose the peculiar names after facing several difficulties during the lockdown in their city.

She said the coronavirus was “dangerous and life-threatening”, but the COVID-19 outbreak had also made people focus on sanitation, hygiene and instil other good habits.

When the hospital staff also started calling the babies Corona and Covid, we finally decided to name them after the pandemic,” she added.

The twins were born at Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital in the state capital, Raipur in late March.

The lockdown in India has seen a mind-boggling 1.3 billion Indians staying home in efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

India currently has 3,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the vast country and has recorded 86 deaths.

Health experts are however apprehensive that India could be on the brink of a surge that could overwhelm the already strained health system.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a three-week lockdown across the country on 24 March to prevent the spread of the virus.

The lockdown, which the PM says is necessary to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe, has brought further hardship to the poor.

Scores have lost jobs and homeless shelters are teeming and overflowing with thousands of needy citizens who can no longer afford to put food on the table.