HONG KONG (Se): An organistion in Hyderabad, India, The Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI), launched coronacare.life, an online platform to counsel people infected with the Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) on February 26. Available 24/7, the multi-lingual service is staffed by a panel of social workers, psychologists & counsellors.
“Fear and loneliness are the worst enemies of humans in a moment of crisis of this sort. If we have a way to overcome fear and loneliness, we would most likely overcome crises. This is the rationale to set up the platform,” Father Mathew Abraham, CHAI director, said.
Father George Kannanthanam, the deputy secretary of CHAI, said, “When a person is put in isolation or quarantined, his frustration and agony will be beyond imagination, especially when he knows that many have already died.”
The virus has spread to over 79 nations, killing some 3,833 people and infected some 97,933 as of March 6. However, 55,1851 people have recovered.
Coronacare.life aims to offer constant “counseling to boost courage and confidence of the infected,” Father Kannanthanam explained.
The website allows anyone to log in for “live chats, audio, and video calls, apart from communicating through e-mails,” the priest said.
The 75-year-old organisation has a team of 30 volunteers, half of whom are medical professionals—mostly Catholic nuns. They also have psychologists and social workers speaking different languages, the priest said.
The volunteers speak Chinese, Spanish, French, Italian, German and English, apart from Indian languages such as Tamil and Bengali.
Two days after the site was launched, it received 237 calls and 62 chat messages, “indicating that those in isolation are really in need of talking to people.”
Researchers have found that 16.6 per cent of individuals may be dealing with moderate to severe depression.
Misinformation and online fake news are also stoking fears and anxiety among the general public.
In China alone, there are at least 300 round-the-clock mental health support hotlines run by university psychology departments, counselling services, and non-government organisations.
India has, as of March 9 reported 34 cases.
