Shiva Keshavan: My doctor friends are infected by Coronavirus

Shiva Keshavan

Six-time Winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan is back in India after witnessing the impact of the deadly Coronavirus from close range in Italy, which has witnessed 250 deaths in a 24-hour period. The Luge Pilot's father is from Kerala and his mother is Italian.

"Doctors in Italy are on the frontline of a situation that is being compared to a war zone. Many doctors including friends of mine have been infected as they deal with the inflow of patients," Shiva, the winner of 10 Asian medals, told mid-day on Saturday.

"Some younger patients do not show symptoms and there is a danger of 'healthy' carriers."

The University of Florence graduate returned from Italy last month. "Initially, it [news of the outbreak] was met with detached interest and little concern since the affected people are far away in a distant country. There were no screenings in Mumbai when I came in as the news was not 'viral' yet. The first time I came across a temperature screening and interview was at Kannur airport in Kerala even though it was a domestic flight.

"Kerala seems to be most proactive in dealing with the situation, a good thing given the frequent flights to the Middle East," observed Shiva, 38.

The Winter Olympics stalwart met with an accident in Kerala on March 4 and survived a head-on collision with a truck while he was traveling in a car. He is recovering well.

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