Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who is hospitalised after contracting the infectious coronavirus, took to his blog post to share a message highlighting the impact of the virus on the mental health of those being treated for the same.

In the blog post, Big B said, “In the darkness of the night and the shiver of the cold room , I sing .. eyes shut in attempted sleep .. there is no one about or around .. and the freedom to be able to do that will extend I know if in the Will of the Almighty there is release .. The after care has ever been the deciding and most valuable time on recovery after the incident of medical professional doctoring in the patient life .. As days pass more and more research jumps upon us in brave waves of new found observing .. and as one goes through the detailed explanations and writings , one is quite astonished by some of the more basic behaviours of the after the discharge (sic).”

He further added, “There is one note of matter that seems trivial but it is a factor .. the mental conditions and the effects of the disease .. clinically, medically all that is known to be effective , yet very little is known that remains hidden unseen and not visible .. matters of the mind often are not .. The mental state sparks from the stark reality that the CoViD patient , put in hospitalised isolation , never gets to see another human .. for weeks.”

“There are the nurses and the doctors on visit and medicine care .. but they ever appear in PPE units .. you never get to know who they are , what are their features, expressions because they are forever covered in the units for protection .. all white beings about .. almost robotic in their presence .. they deliver what is prescribed and leave .. leave because longer stay has the fear of contamination,” Bachchan continued.

Opening up about the mental health struggles COVID-19 patients face under isolation in order to curb the spread of the disease, the 77-year-old actor said, “The Doctor under whose guidance the care and mapping and reports are governed by never ever comes near you to give a hand of assurance .. a personal detail of the treatment in the close proximity of an assurance .. they are on the communication vehicle of FaceTime .. its the best under the circumstances .. but it is still impersonal, it cannot physically be possible otherwise .. we are in remote treatment .. does it have an effect psychologically mentally , psychologists say it does .. patients after release are tempered .. they are given to consultation with professional mind talkers .. they are afraid to be in public for fear or apprehension of being treated differently .. treated as one that has carried the disease .. a pariah syndrome .. driving them into deeper depression and in the loneliness that they have just come out of .. And even though the disease may have left the system the cases of a low fever pursuing for 3-4 weeks is never ruled out.”

On Thursday, the veteran dismissed reports that he had tested negative for the infection and called it “an incorrigible lie”.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Sunday removed a poster which they had put outside Jalsa, the actor’s residence, declaring it as a containment zone.

“The long and short of it is this .. the World has not found a fool proof methodology on the disease .. every case is different .. each day a new symptom is under observation and research .. Never before has the medical realm been so handicapped .. not just one or two regions .. the entire Universe .. Trial and error were never in such great demand than now,” he added.

Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan were admitted to the isolation ward of Nanavati Hospital on July 11 after they tested positive for the virus. Amitabh’s daughter-in-law, actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, 46, and his eight-year-old granddaughter Aaradhya Bachchan also tested positive for COVID-19 and were shifted to Nanavati last week.

The tally of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra rose to 3,66,368 with 9,251 new patients being reported on Saturday.