A Message from Sudhin Thayyil

Bengaluru, April, 2020 : In an effort to curb the COVID-19 pandemic in the city, only vehicles transporting essential goods or people rendering essential services are allowed in public spaces. The entire country went into lockdown on March 25, 2020. (Photo by Robbi Mohan)

Dear Colleagues,

The COVID-19 pandemic is changing our lives as never before. The stress it exerts on our personal and professional lives is unprecedented.

This pandemic is yet another reminder that diseases don’t have boundaries, and neither does science. Scientific discoveries require collaborations and should be unrestricted by political and geographical boundaries. Health care professionals and scientists around the world are now working tirelessly to treat patients with COVID and to develop tools for diagnosis, modelling and prevention.

These challenging times are also changing us for the better, by bringing us together and helping us embrace our communities through humility and sharing. It is times like these that we all need, to bring out the best in us; to reflect on what it means to be human; what it means to be a doctor or a nurse. It is teaching us about preparedness and of making the best use of the given circumstances.

Whilst it was disappointing to suspend the study just three weeks into the recruitment, we should use this time to help our clinical colleagues in dealing with the COVID crisis, and to prepare ourselves for the re-launch of the project when the situation improves. Working from home is not easy for those who are not used to it and require quite a bit of organisation and self-drive.

We should continue to have team meetings and discussions online and use this time wisely for improving the academic skills. These are difficult times, but they will end.

Sincerely,

Sudhin Thayyil