Fifteen doctors from the 2005 batch of Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Narendrapur, have decided to make people aware of the various aspects of Covid-19 and clear common misconceptions associated with it through live sessions on Facebook.

They will also support the 60-bed safe home at the Ramakrishna Mission Saradapitha, Belur Math, set to be operational from May 26. They will provide medicines, pulse oximeters and glucometers for patients and protective gear such as masks and face shields for doctors and health workers deployed at the safe home.

Prithwiraj Saha, a critical care medicine specialist and the co-ordinator of the 2005 batch, said: “There are a lot of misconceptions that need to be cleared. So, we thought of providing the people with the right information to reduce the panic. We have planned nine sessions — Pandemic without Panic — where specialists from every field will address the basic questions.”

Krishnendu Khan, a paediatrician, addressed the first live session on Covid-19 in Children on Sunday.

Saha conducted a session on Covid-19 in Adults on Monday. “The concepts regarding the virus being airborne or one coming in close contact with Covid patients are very important. Close contact is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as someone who is within two metres of an infected person for at least 15 minutes within 24 hours,” said Saha.

The sessions are being streamed from the Facebook page of the Bengali music group, Prithibi, and besides answering the questions of the anchor, the medicos are taking questions from the viewers as well. The other sessions will be held over the next two weeks. Consultant biochemist Aniket Paul will speak on Cytokine Storm in Covid-19 on Wednesday, while gynaecologists Apurba Pailan and Shankadhar Panja will speak on Covid-19 and Pregnancy on Thursday.

One misconception is that one CT scan is equal to 300 to 400 X-rays. “This was the situation around 40 years ago,” said Koushik Nayek, radiologist, who along with Samik Ghosh and Amar Narayan Shaw, will speak on HRCT Panic in Covid-19 and Role of Chest X-ray on May 26.

The alumni met Swami Divyananda, the secretary of Ramakrishna Mission Saradapitha, on Sunday to hand over the items to start the safe home on the premises of Ramakrishna Mission Shilpamandira, a polytechnic college.

The safe home will accommodate asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic Covid patients. Residents of Bally, Belur and adjacent areas will be treated there. Classrooms, prayer hall and seminar halls of the polytechnic college will be used to house the patients.

The alumni are also planning to start a sample collection centre at their alma mater shortly.