Kind deeds witnessed amid drug shortages

Some anonymous and unsung heroes, who shared their COVID-19 medications with strangers for free, have brought moments of warmth to this cold winter.

"I have extra doses of medications for relieving coughs and congestion. People in urgent need can message me and get these pills from me. It's free of charge, and I just want to offer my help," a 46-year-old surnamed Wang posted in a WeChat group of his community in Beijing's Chaoyang district on Tuesday.

Wang said he bought various pharmaceuticals in late November in case his family members became infected with COVID-19, and also received parcels of medicines from his relatives earlier this month.

"I saw many of my neighbors seeking help in the group chat, saying that they could not buy needed drugs as such pills were out of supply at pharmacies due to infection surges. I've sent around 20 pills since Tuesday, with each of the beneficiaries getting two or four pills," he said.

He said that he and his wife were infected around Dec 10, and now have recovered. "I still have two boxes after sending 20 pills to my neighbors. I will continue to offer my help to whoever is in urgent need. I'm not a hero, actually, and I just do what I can to help others. It's a cold winter requiring our united efforts to get through this together."

From the middle of this month, many pharmaceutical companies and local authorities have taken measures to distribute medicines for free or set up platforms to let people help others.

For example, Tencent launched a charitable WeChat app on Tuesday through which COVID-19 patients can ask about what medicines they need while those having extra supplies can offer their help by checking patients' locations. All these services and assistance are free of charge.

People are required to register using real-name authentication before posting any information via the app to avoid any malicious use of the platform or hoarding of medicines.

According to Tencent, over a million users viewed the app in two days after being published with over 50,000 messages by patients and donors posted.

Health authorities at all levels also made efforts to help relieve people's difficulties in buying medicines. Jilin, a city in Northeastern China, began to offer two million pills to locals since Thursday. They are eligible to receive six pills each for free using their identity cards. Beijing's Changping district has over 20 pharmacies offering free medicines to locals.

Also, Haikou, in South China's Hainan province, prepared 40,000 pills for locals free of charge. People there are allowed to get four pills at 42 designated pharmacies from Wednesday to Friday.