The twins were born not long after the Indian government imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 25. — Pexels pic

PETALING JAYA, April 6 — A pair of newborn Indian twins have been named Corona and Covid in light of the ongoing virus pandemic.

Vinay Verma and his wife, known as Preeti, welcomed their bundles of joy in Chhattisgarh, India shortly after the country went into lockdown on March 25, according to The New Indian Express.

Preeti said she and her husband decided to name their baby boy and girl after the deadly virus in the hopes that it would give a positive association to the words “covid” and “corona.”

“There is a lot of apprehension nowadays regarding Covid-19. We wished to ease the anxiety and fear associated with these words and also make the occasion memorable.

“So, my husband and I took an instant decision to name our twins Covid (boy) and Corona (girl),” Preeti was quoted as saying.

Vinay and Preeti’s decision echoes that of several other parents who have named their children after the novel coronavirus that has infected more than 1.2 million people to date.

GMA News reported that baby girls in Sultan Kudarat province in the Philippines have been given names such as Covid Rose and Covid Lorraine.

A Twitter post by @ninacayosa also claimed that a Filipino infant has been named Covid Bryant, a dual homage to the virus and basketball legend Kobe Bryant who died in a helicopter crash in January.

Saw a message where one of the maid’s daughters gave birth last March 15 (start of the lockdown) & you’ll never guess what they named their NEWBORN CHILD.......



COVID BRYANT 😫🤞🏻 — niña cayosa (@ninacayosa) March 17, 2020

Meanwhile, a baby boy born in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has been named Lockdown by his mum and dad Neeraja Devi and Pawan Prasad, Deccan Herald reported.

Proud father Pawan, who works as a farmer in the village of Khukhundu, said they chose the name as a way of commending the government’s efforts to stop the spread of the virus.

“I named him after the lockdown as we all are reeling under the Covid-19 pandemic.

“In my view, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken the right step to impose lockdown in the entire nation to save us from the deadly virus.

“My boy will remind everyone to take precautions against Covid-19 to save themselves and the nation.”

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