Indian couple name twin babies Covid and Corona

For millions of people across the globe, the coronavirus pandemic has brought hardship and devastation. The mere mention of the words “coronavirus” or “COVID-19” evoke fear but this has not deterred a couple in India from naming their twin babies “Covid” and “Corona”.   

According to the couple based in Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh state in central India, the names would remind them about all the hardships they conquered amid the coronavirus lockdown, ahead of a successful delivery on the night of March 26-27 at a government hospital.  

I was blessed with the twins, a boy and a girl, in the early hours on March 27. We have named them Covid (boy) and Corona (girl) for now, Preeti Verma, the 27-old mother of the newborns, said in a report by The Hindu.

The delivery happened after facing several difficulties and therefore, I and my husband wanted to make the day memorable.

On the night of March 26, Verma experienced severe labour pain. No movement was allowed as India had enforced a lockdown for its population of more than 1.3 billion on March 24.  However, her husband arranged for an ambulance. 

Verma said that they were stopped several times by the police but they let them go after they noticed her condition.  

Giving reasons for the unusual name decision for their twins, Verma said;  

Indeed the virus is dangerous and life-threatening but its outbreak made people focus on sanitation, hygiene and inculcate other good habits. Thus, we thought about these names. When the hospital staff also started calling the babies as Corona and Covid, we finally decided to name them after the pandemic.