United front eases COVID-19 stress

Volunteers provide medicine for a senior resident of Tiexi district in Shenyang, Liaoning province. CHINA DAILY

Friends, relatives and neighbors have been helping each other by sharing fever medications in times of need.

In recent weeks, fever medicines have been in short supply after the number of COVID-19 cases rose sharply nationwide.

It seemed that no sooner had people got the medicine, they contracted the virus, so mutual assistance between neighbors, relatives and friends has helped during many emergency situations.

For example, Li Shaoqing, a 37-year-old insurance industry worker from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, recently helped an old college classmate obtain medicine late at night.

At about 10 pm on Dec 18, the classmate, Xu Yan, asked Li for some medicine as her children, both younger than 10 years old, were running temperatures as high as 39 C.

However, Li didn't have enough medication, so she turned to Luo Minhua, an old high school classmate, for help. Luo sent the medicine via a delivery service, despite having two children who were in also danger of contracting the disease. In fact, they fell ill just two days later.

"Recently, it has been difficult to get fever medicine, especially for children. Lining up for medication at a hospital can take as long as eight hours," Li said.

"Although my two old classmates don't know each other, Luo insisted on donating the medicine, saying that the children needed it. I was moved by her generosity."