It may appear as if your news feed on social media has been flooded with nerve-wracking updates on coronavirus, but don't fret—there are also plenty of positive news stories around this pandemic.
So without any further ado, here is a list of 10 positive headlines on COVID-19 response from around the planet.
"This is an amazing opportunity for me to do something," she added.
Amidst national shortages of hand sanitizers, alcohol distilleries in Atlanta, Portland, rural Georgia, and North Carolina have begun using their facilities to make their own sanitation products.Since the World Health Organization (WHO) says that cleaning your hands with an alcohol-based rub can help to kill viruses on your hands, many of the distilleries say they hope to continue producing their bootleg sanitizers until the virus has been properly contained.
Satellite readings of air pollution levels over China and Italy show that the regions hit hardest by the COVID-19 have also caused air pollution levels to decline dramatically.
Some reports estimate that China's quarantine has saved more than 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere—which is about the equivalent of what Chile produces in a year.
Not only have similar effects been reported across Italy, but the canals and waterways of Venice are also reportedly cleaner than ever with the waters shining crystal clear in the absence of diesel-powered boats and gondoliers.
The vaccine being tested in Seattle isn't the only potential treatment for the disease—an immunologist from Johns Hopkins University is reviving a century-old blood-derived treatment for use in the United States in hopes of slowing the spread of the disease.
The technique uses antibodies from the blood plasma or serum of people who have recovered from COVID-19 infection to boost the immunity of newly-infected patients and those at risk of contracting the disease.
According to Reuters, South Korea recorded more COVID-19 recovery cases on March 6th than new infections for the first time since the nation experienced the largest Asian outbreak outside of China.
Crowds of medical staffers and discharged patients were filmed celebrating the closure of all 14 temporary hospitals that opened in Wuhan to treat COVID-19 patients during the worst of the outbreak.
Authorities told the South China Morning Post this week that the virus had finally passed its peak as the nation's mainland experienced only 11 new cases on March 13th, most of which were from international travelers.
As the outbreak is finally brought under control, parks and tourist attractions are slowly beginning to reopen to the public under careful moderation.
Not only that, but the drugs were also given to some of the nation's first COVID-19 patients, which resulted in the "disappearance of the virus and complete recovery from the infection," researchers told News.com.au.
The university is now looking to conduct a nationwide trial with the drugs to evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of each drug administered separately and together.
"We know the success of every restaurant depends on customer demand," the company said in a statement. "That's why we're working urgently to drive orders towards independent restaurants on Eats, to help make up for the significant slowdown of in-restaurant dining.
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"As more customers are choosing to stay indoors, we've waived the Delivery Fee for the more than 100,000 independent restaurants across the US and Canada on Uber Eats. We will also launch daily dedicated, targeted marketing campaigns—both in-app and via email—to promote delivery from local restaurants, especially those that are new to the app."
"Researchers from these world-class institutions came together in a grassroots way to successfully isolate the virus in just a few short weeks," said Dr. Rob Kozak, a clinical microbiologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. "It demonstrates the amazing things that can happen when we collaborate."
Meanwhile, Dutch researchers have submitted a scientific paper for publishing on how they have identified an anti-body for the virus—and it could be a world-first.
All in all, the pandemic situation may seem grim, but these are just a few examples of how businesses and individuals are still looking out for each other during times of trouble.
