With the COVID-19 cases rising every day, we are seeing more and more people coming forward to help each other — to assist and offer help in every possible way. From children to senior citizens, everyone is doing their part — to ensure that we win this fight soon.

Recently, three Indian-American siblings joined this fight. Founders of a non for profit organisation, Little Mentors, the trio managed to raise more than USD280,000 to send essentials and oxygen supplies for COVID-19 patients in India.

The 15-year-old triplet siblings reached out to their families, school friends and relatives to raise funds. The amount raised will be used for arranging essential equipment like oxygen concentrators and ventilators for the hospitals and needy patients in and around Delhi.

“Our only request is to return it (the equipment) when it’s not further needed as the next patient can use it. This is important as supply of these equipment is very scarce, and the affected population is enormous,” said the trio, Karina, Gia and Armaan. “We need everybody’s help in this as such an enormous task can only be accomplished by teamwork. We are very fortunate to work with an excellent team of physicians, both in the US and India. Although we hope and pray that this second wave of the coronavirus will go away soon, we are getting ready for the worst and asking people to be careful and help each other in this major crisis.”

The Gupta triplets have also been applauded earlier in December 2020 for creating an app, Apollo, which assists young entrepreneurs on a digital platform. Their non for profit organisation, Little Mentors, was founded more than two years ago.

“When you create any venture, be it a nonprofit, a for-profit business or something else, you have to make sure there is a base,” said Armaan.”Our network is children and students, but we wanted to have adults and advisors also on board to guide and help us.”

They are also planning to maintain a database of the people so that they can direct the supply properly. Besides, they plan to open distribution centres in major cities.

In a time when many people are selfishly stocking up essential medical equipment at their home, without thinking how the needy ones would manage — samaritans like these siblings are proving that there is still hope and light left between us! Kudos to these super teens!

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The role of media, which is considered as the fourth pillar of Indian democracy, has finally been acknowledged by several state governments.

Apart from the healthcare unit and departments like police, sanitation and hygiene, several state governments have decided to declare media personnel and journalists as frontline COVID-19 warriors, citing their services to the nation.

Like the other frontline workers of the nation, Indian media is also playing a major role in fighting the COVID-19 crisis by providing real-time vital information and details related to the pandemic, making people aware and updated.

By declaring journalists as frontline workers, it will also make them eligible for getting priority in the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

These are the states that declared their media personnel as frontline workers:

Bihar

The Bihar government declared all journalists accredited with the Information and Public Relations Department as frontline workers. 

“Corona vaccine will be given to journalists on a priority basis in the state. Journalists have been performing their roles in a good way during the pandemic. They are making people aware of the dangers of corona infection,” CM Nitish Kumar tweeted.

Odisha

Odisha CM, Naveen Patnaik, declared journalists as COVID-19 warriors and announced an ex gratia of INR 15 lakh for the next of kin of journalists who lose their lives to COVID-19 while on duty.

“As many as 6,944 working journalists of the state have been covered under the Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima Yojana. They are getting health insurance cover of INR 2 lakh each,” the state government said in a statement.

Uttarakhand

“Since the time the lockdown started and the country eased it gradually, even officers and employees of the information department have been constantly involved in communication and spreading awareness about correct information in tasks related to fighting COVID-19,” the Uttarakhand government said in a statement and declared its journalists as frontline workers.

Madhya Pradesh

“Therefore, we have decided to declare all accredited journalists as frontline workers in Madhya Pradesh. They will be taken care of,” CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in a statement while declaring all journalists as frontline workers.

Punjab

The state government of Punjab said that all accredited and yellow card journalists in Punjab would be considered as COVID-19 frontline warriors.

Uttar Pradesh

CM Yogi Adityanath led government announced that all the media professionals and their families would be given priority in the vaccination drive.

Apart from these states, West Bengal’ CM Mamata Banerjee and Tamil Nadu’s next CM MK Stalin have also declared all the media personnel as the COVID-19 frontline workers in their respective states. 

Though I am writing this from home, there is a sense of relief and happiness for those journalists and media workers who have been on the frontline, reporting since day one. Thank you for your service to the nation!

ALSO Read: Triplet siblings raises over $280,000 for medical supplies in India!

India is witnessing an unprecedented rise in COVID-19 cases almost every day. It is clearly a mentally and exhausting time for all of us. 

Doctors across India are battling hard in their personal and professional lives in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic. Health care workers and hospitals are under immense pressure and stress, wrestling with a widespread shortage of beds, oxygen, and ventilators as the devastating second wave of COVID-19 has wrecked the country. They put their patients’ lives above everyone, sometimes even above their family. 

To ease the tension, tackle stress, and keep mental health in check, many hospitals and doctors go beyond helping the patients by spreading joy to the patients. Healthcare workers from many cities are spreading positivity and joy to the patients affected by COVID-19.

Hospitals cheers for COVID-19 patients in Uttar Pradesh

For example, a hospital in the Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh enlightened everyone by approaching this very crisis on a positive note. Kanpur’s Krishna Hospital gave a warm-send off to COVID-19 survivors.

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The discharged patients were sent home with garlands wrapped around their necks as frontline workers cheered them with loud applause. 

Need of the hour dance by Healthline workers in Punjab

Doctors are under constant pressure at the hospitals as COVID-19 cases are increasing day by day. They are at their toes all day long assisting one patient to another. To keep their mental stress under control,doctors dance to cheer up COVID-19 patients in Bathinda (Punjab) to a Punjabi song along with the patients.  

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The doctors were seen dancing in PPE kits. All the patients and doctors started dancing together, to keep the strength, to show everyone is together in this. 

Dancing to the wedding tunes by an ambulance driver in Uttarakhand

Ambulance drivers are under immense stress after carrying COVID-positive patients in and out of hospitals. An ambulance driver from Uttarakhand danced along with a wedding procession wearing a PPE kit.

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The driver started dancing to the tunes as a wedding procession passed in front of the hospital he works for. He could not stop himself from joining the baraath (wedding procession) and felt somewhat relieved after dancing. 

Celebrating a patient’s birthday in Gujarat

Despite working long hours and giving their services, doctors also go the extra mile to cheers the patients and raise the spirit of the patients suffering from COVID-19. A healthcare worker dance to “Tum Jiyo Hazaro Saal” to celebrate a patient’s birthday at Gujarat hospital. 

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Several healthcare workers and patients cheered as a worker took a break from their hectic schedule to celebrate the patient’s birthday.