Newborn twins named Corona and Covid in India

A couple in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh named their new-born twins as 'Corona' and 'Covid'.

The twins, a boy and a girl, were born at a government hospital in Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh on the intervening night of March 26-27, during the ongoing coronavirus-enforced nationwide lockdown which has disrupted normal life across India.

The names, the couple said, would remind them about all the hardships they went through amid the lockdown ahead of a successful delivery.

However, the couple said they may change their decision later and rename their kids.

"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, told media in Raipur.

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

"When the hospital staff also started calling the babies as Corona and Covid, we finally decided to name them after the pandemic," Preeti said.

Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the hospital, Shubhra Singh, said the mother and the newborns were discharged recently and they were in good health.