Weeks into the crisis and we are all at unease. We have nevertheless found some ways to cope: my colleagues and I have written about suggestions and given testimonies to living under the threat of the disease with distracting optimism. What this implies, though, is the severity of the pandemic. Many have taken to social media to give thanks to and praise for those who risk their lives and their family’s lives to mitigate the spate of infections. 

There are countless tales of everyday people (and celebrities and more notable people) taking the time and effort to stop and call attention to the work being done to abate the spread of the virus. The applauses are a sign of solidarity, of a shared goal and a recognition of who’s taking on many of the extreme risks. They are the sleepless mothers and fathers, undergraduate and graduate students, and even ordinary citizens. Their tenacious efforts remain unacknowledged in the numbers shown on major news networks and sites, keeping their work rather in the dark. (TIME has recently published a special issue of their magazine focusing on this topic.) But the era of darkness is behind us; to light it, technology and humanity has converged to create circuits of empathy, emitting beams of solidarity.

How can you show your appreciation? Here’s how: you can use UberEats and many other delivery and food services which are offering to feed medical workers; you can donate blood at a local center; you can contribute to philanthropic funds and other local charities and hospitals; YOU CAN FOLLOW THEIR SUGGESTIONS; reach out via email, phone or through a hospital’s website and thank them; and you can refrain from profligate spending of medical supplies like masks, respirators, goggles, food and other household items that may be more useful (or necessary) for others.

Image courtesy of Ilka Cole.