Some Positive News in Spite of COVID-19

News around the world has been overrun with scary statistics and sad events regarding the Coronavirus situation. While COVID-19 should be prioritized right now, it would do no harm to spread some positive news of today. I’m sure that most Nichada residents by now have seen the several chalk drawings/quotes around the lake reminding us of happier times. This article will be highlighting some of the more cheerful stories amongst COVID-19.

MARYLAND, USA

In Maryland, U.S.A, teens from Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Springtook took on the task of delivering groceries to the elderly and vulnerable. The teens make sure to handle products with meticulous hygiene, and always maintain the proper social distance from people they serve. “It’s gone from extremely casual to extremely operational very quickly,” said Matthew Casertano, one of the teens volunteering. “This is one of those times I will remember that people are willing to look out for one another and have each other’s back.” In the span of three days, the teenagers managed to round up several more volunteers around the state, going as far as Washington DC.  “This was tremendously helpful,” said Jimmy Kraft, a retired grandfather using this service. “It truly is so amazing that teenagers would spend their time helping one of the most vulnerable populations. I am very grateful for their help and hope that more kids will join them in their efforts.”

SALT LAKE CITY, USA

Megan Jansen, an ICU nurse in Salt Lake City is helping to provide mask-covers that work to sustain the life of a medical mask. After COVID-19 had started spreading to major cities in the US, Jansen started a Facebook group called Sewing for Lives. It quickly grew into a larger database, with its own website for other volunteers to join and first-responders to request supplies. “It gives me hope and faith and my heart is so full knowing that when health care needs help, people are there for us,” said Jansen. “People are so scared and isolated and it really just brings the community together with a purpose.” Several other organizations around the world have stepped up to help provide the medical community with as much help as they can, whether it be funding or making supplies.

ANIMAL SHELTERS, USA

Animal shelters all over the US have been receiving good news as of late. The shelters have come up with creative ways to stay ‘open’, in order to keep pairing up pets with people. Many people have made requests to foster, or even adopt during this time. At Wisconsin Humane Society, they “had so many new foster parents sign up – 400 – in just a few days that it briefly crashed the website”, said their vice president of communications. “Over the past week, we have seen a nearly 70% increase in animals going into foster care through our New York City and Los Angeles foster programs, compared to the same time period in 2019,” said Matt Bershadker, president and CEO of the national ASPCA, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. In fact, according to a Pethealth database, adoptions are up 100% from last year, while fosters are up 197% compared to 2019. Why is this happening? “Maybe to help alleviate their own anxieties while trapped at home … maybe they’ve got more time to care for a pet while working from home”, said USATODAY. In any case, this is benefiting both the animals and the people amidst the pandemic.

AUSTRALIA

A previous crisis has been recovering well lately. The Australian bushfires from early 2020 have finally receded, allowing 27 koalas to be released back into their habitat after being cared for in captivity. “While they have coped well in care, we are delighted to finally send our koalas home. We have been busy assessing the burnt area that we rescued them from, to establish when the conditions have improved enough that the trees can support them again, ” said Dr. Kellie Legh, the Executive Director of Science for Wildlife.

Finally, as of April 2020, over 400,000 coronavirus patients have recovered worldwide. In Thailand, the number of new cases per day seems to be on a decreasing streak. 

Wishing for everyone to stay safe and healthy in these troubling times: like chalk, this won’t last forever.