Popular medical TV dramas such as “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Good Doctor” are donating real medical equipment including masks, gowns and gloves to emergency workers tackling the COVID-19 outbreak, the AFP reports.
The rapid spread of the disease has overwhelmed healthcare systems around the world and medical supplies are running short. In some cases, front-liners don’t even have basic protection.
Thus, the medical shows are emptying their prop rooms to respond to the call for more supplies.
The long-running ABC hit show “Grey’s Anatomy” has a backstock of gowns and gloves which they are donating. Similarly, firefighter drama “Station 19,” also from the same network, donated 300 masks to the Ontario Fire Department in Canada after learning they were running out and firefighters were forced to reuse masks.
Another ABC medical drama, “The Good Doctor,” handed over hundreds of masks, gowns, disposable booties and isolation suits.
Karen Law, an Atlanta-based rheumatologist, thanked Fox show “The Resident” on her Instagram account for the donation to Grady Memorial Hospital.
The US, as of 22 March, has 26,574 diagnosed cases of the novel coronavirus, the third-highest globally, with 340 fatalities. Meanwhile, in Canada, there have been 1,302 confirmed cases to date, with 19 deaths.
To date, there are at least 307,000 diagnosed cases leading to close to 13,000 deaths, globally. The respiratory virus has reached every continent except Antartica, affecting 168 countries across the world.
Total people who have recovered from the virus globally total 95,059, translating to a recovery rate of around 31 percent.
For more up-to-date situational reports on COVID-19, visit WHO.
