Feature: A ray of hope in the midst of Hong Kong's COVID-19 pandemic

HONG KONG, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The springtime in Hong Kong is slightly different this year. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the place seems to have lost its usual hustle and bustle. Walking among hurrying pedestrians is Annie Lee, who is guarding a community located in Hong Kong Island in her own way.

Since the start of the fifth wave of the pandemic, Lee, who is the executive chairman of the Quarry Bay Residents Association, has been going door to door to deliver anti-pandemic supplies for residents in the area.

Waking up to her alarm at 6:30 a.m., the first thing Lee does every day is to check her cellphone to see if there were any messages or missed calls from people in need. "If it was something urgent, I will get back to them immediately," Lee told Xinhua.

Lee's busy and intense day of work begins after she had two things -- her breakfast, which is a bowl of cereal and an egg, and her negative COVID-19 self-test result.

Carrying bags of anti-pandemic supplies, vegetables, fruits and other daily necessities, she runs up and down to deliver them to residents living in buildings with COVID-19 cases detected. As the weather gets warmer, it was not long before Lee began sweating from head to toe.

After returning home, Lee took off her mask and disinfected her entire body with ease. She became very familiar with these procedures after several months of being at the frontline of the anti-pandemic force. Nevertheless, she admitted that this wave of the pandemic caught her off guard a few months back, as it was developing so fast and there were not enough supplies.

"Supplies like drugs and rapid antigen tests (RAT) were in great shortage at first. I can only try to get them by myself," Lee said.

Fortunately, the situation has greatly improved now. Since mid-February, Lee has been receiving anti-pandemic supplies donated by the central government, including masks, RATs and traditional Chinese medicines, through various channels.

The staunch support from the central government and the generous help from all walks of life have given Lee tremendous strength, "Now I am able to provide people with all the supplies they need," Lee said confidently.

Lee does not limit her assistance to people living in Quarry Bay. Choi, who lives in To Kwa Wan, had just given birth not long before being tested positive for COVID-19. With her husband staying in the Chinese mainland for work and no emergency drugs at hand, she felt helpless seeing her newborn baby suffering from a fever and diarrhea.

Lee did not hesitate to offer help when she received the call from the worried mother. She quickly called an ambulance and asked her friend living near to deliver supplies to Choi. The baby was then sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment.

To Lee, frequently visiting areas with high risks of infection for COVID-19 is like walking on a tightrope. However, her answer was firm when she was asked whether she was worried about her own safety. "The job is definitely a risky one, but if I don't do it, those who got infected will be even more helpless, especially those who live alone," she said.

Apart from being a "delivery lady" for anti-pandemic supplies, the line to Lee's phone is always busy, with hundreds of calls every day from people with inquiries, complaints or requests for help.

"I am fine, every call might be a matter of life during this special period," Lee told her concerned neighbors whenever they ask her if she need a break from her hectic schedule.

Her neighbors were not the only people concerned about her. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Lee has not been eating at the same table with her son for a long time. Lee said that her mother often cries over the phone worrying about her safety.

"I told her this is my job and I have to do it. My sisters are now taking turns to care for my parents and told me not to worry about anything at home," Lee choked a little when she spoke of her family.

Luckily, she was never fighting alone. More and more people are joining her in the fight against the pandemic, the battle without gun smoke.

"A lot of people texted me to offer help. One time, a boy came to help me immediately when he saw me carrying supplies while climbing up dozens of stairs," Lee told Xinhua.

Words of thanks and encouragement on Lee's social media have also given her motivation to carry on her work. She believed that with the strong backup from the central government and an increasing number of companions, the pandemic will soon pass and Hong Kong will eventually see a blooming spring.