Kerala Doctor Takes Care Of Baby For A Month After Parents Test COVID-19 Positive

On Wednesday, July 16, an emotional Dr Mary Anitha, handed over Elvin to his parents, who completed their home quarantine after recovering from the infection.

The baby's parents, hailing from Ernakulam district, are nurses at a healthcare facility in Gurgaon. After his father tested positive for the virus last month, his mother had returned to Kerala with Elvin.

However, after reaching the state, Elvin's mother tested positive for the virus while under home quarantine. While the district child welfare committee looked for people to take care of the baby, fear of infection kept others from taking care of him.

"On June 14, the child welfare committee approached me… By the time the issue reached me, the baby had lived with his mother for several days after she tested positive and his chances of getting infected were very high," Mary was quoted by The Indian Express.

However, Mary was ready to look after the baby. Mary, who runs an organisation for differently-abled children in Kochi, is a mother of three. On June 15, she brought the baby to an empty flat in her apartment complex.

Every day, her children would take meals to the flat and leave it outside the door. Mary would also make video calls to the baby's parents, who were under treatment.

Handing over the baby back to his parents left both Mary and her children emotional.

"Elwin was unhappy. He was not showing happiness despite being in the company of his parents. My children suggested that we meet him, but I dissuaded them and told them that Elwin should be with his parents. We can visit him after he is happy with his parents," Mary told On Manorama.