With each hour, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases continues to grow. At the time of this writing, there are more than 594,000 cases globally, and 93,300 cases in the US — the most of any other country in the world. But, by the time that you read this, there may be even more. As Americans do their best to stay home and self-isolate, doctors, nurses, and first responders sadly don't have that luxury. They are on the front lines of the coronavirus, whether they like it or not, and sadly, many feel as though they're fighting a losing battle, as ventilators, masks, and other personal protection equipment (PPE) run dangerously low.
If you've been wondering how you can help support the selfless heroes who are working round-the-clock to save lives right now, here are some ways to show them you care.
Have lunch delivered to a hospital near you
Showing you care (even in small ways) means more than you know
We're all going through it right now, and rising rates of fear of anxiety are only normal in a time of uncertainty. But for those who work in hospitals, the tension is on another level.
“It’s pretty overwhelming," one Tennessee nurse told Time. "This is the most anxious I’ve ever felt in my entire life. This is the most stressed out I’ve ever been.”
Showing your support for those on the front lines can be as small as message of hope you hang in your window.
Or, it could be in community-wide gesture of gratitude and solidarity.
According to Gothamist, New York City residents are planning to lean out their windows or step outside and hold a 2-minute clap for essential workers throughout the city.
It's also worth mentioning that in addition to doctors and nurses, many other workers who are considered essential right now are also putting themselves in harm's way to help us all. And that ranges from police officers and firefighters to grocery store cashiers and fast-food delivery workers.
“Workers in food stores are the ones keeping this nation from going into civil unrest,” John T. Niccollai, president of Local 464A of the United Food & Commercial Workers, told The New York Times. “Because if there is no one working in the stores, we are in trouble.”
Listen to their pleas — and stay home
At the end of the day, perhaps the greatest show of support you can give is to heed the warnings of medical experts everywhere: Stay home.
Last week, health care workers throughout the country took to social media to urge Americans not to take COVID-19 lightly. Staying home, and implementing an aggressive plan of social distancing, is our best defense against spreading the disease further and overloading the health care system.
One viral image that was shared thousands of times across Instagram and Twitter was this one — in which hospital staff held up signs reading: “We stayed at work for you. You stay at home for us.”
The advice is simple, but true.
As our hearts continue to break over the exhausted images of health care workers being shared across social media, may they serve as sobering reminders that the greatest gift we can give them right now is our health.
