Help fight the #CoronaOutbreak in Wuhan
My name is Andy Xu, and I am a high school junior at Canterbury School in New Milford, Connecticut. The Chinese Spring Festival has just begun, and Chinese people across the world are celebrating the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunar calendar.
But celebrations are being held back this year. As you might have heard from the news, China is currently experiencing a coronavirus outbreak. As of Saturday, January 25th, the coronavirus has taken the lives of at least 3,500 people, and infected around 105,000, since its discovery in Wuhan (live updates are available from this interactive map by John Hopkins University ). China has confirmed that the virus can be transmitted from human to human (learn more about the coronavirus in this video).
My mother was born and raised in Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei Province. My grandma, uncle, aunt, and cousin still live in the city. With the coronavirus outbreak, they are in serious risk of infection, along with millions of others that haven't been affected yet. The entire city has been put on quarantine lockdown. Civilians are encouraged to stay in their homes and public transportation has been temporarily shut down.
In an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus, the Chinese people have resorted to wearing face-masks. Although these face masks can help prevent exposure with consistent use and proper wear, there is little evidence to suggest they have many benefits. Face masks bought from local pharmacies are made of flimsy materials and don't cover the face well. Infected droplets from sneezing or coughing are not fully protected from while wearing these masks (learn more about the effectiveness of face masks in this NY Times article).
The money collected will go towards high-quality face masks that will be sent to the Wuhan University Alumni Association in New York City. Please consider donating to help fight the coronavirus. A small contribution will go a long way!
But celebrations are being held back this year. As you might have heard from the news, China is currently experiencing a coronavirus outbreak. As of Saturday, January 25th, the coronavirus has taken the lives of at least 3,500 people, and infected around 105,000, since its discovery in Wuhan (live updates are available from this interactive map by John Hopkins University ). China has confirmed that the virus can be transmitted from human to human (learn more about the coronavirus in this video).
My mother was born and raised in Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei Province. My grandma, uncle, aunt, and cousin still live in the city. With the coronavirus outbreak, they are in serious risk of infection, along with millions of others that haven't been affected yet. The entire city has been put on quarantine lockdown. Civilians are encouraged to stay in their homes and public transportation has been temporarily shut down.
In an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus, the Chinese people have resorted to wearing face-masks. Although these face masks can help prevent exposure with consistent use and proper wear, there is little evidence to suggest they have many benefits. Face masks bought from local pharmacies are made of flimsy materials and don't cover the face well. Infected droplets from sneezing or coughing are not fully protected from while wearing these masks (learn more about the effectiveness of face masks in this NY Times article).
The money collected will go towards high-quality face masks that will be sent to the Wuhan University Alumni Association in New York City. Please consider donating to help fight the coronavirus. A small contribution will go a long way!
Organizer and beneficiary
Andy Xu
Organizer
New Milford, CT
Yimei Wang
Beneficiary