Steve and Amy Bohner, owners of Alchemy Distillery in Arcata, Calif., have begun making hand sanitizer from rye whiskey, like many of those in Washington state. Keep clicking for more good news about the novel coronavirus.
Deric Mendes
According to CNN, “Shipping companies FedEx and UPS started transport on Sunday [Dec. 13] and completed all first-day vaccine deliveries” of COVID-19 vaccines.
“US Surgeon General Jerome Adams called the rollout of the vaccine ‘tremendous,’” CNN reported. "This is just tremendous and I'm smiling bigger than I've smiled in a long time because it has been a hard year for so many people out there, including me personally," Adams told CNN. "Today we really did get a shot of hope."
Eva Hambach/AFP via Getty Images
“Soon after its appearance [coronavirus], researchers identified the viral cause of COVID-19, mapped its genome, and tracked its spread,” reported Harvard Health Publishing. “For a virus that was unknown less than a year ago, all of these things happened quickly because of the dedication and cooperation of scientists and public health officials around the world. Imagine how things would be right now if we still did not know the cause of this terrible disease, and had no idea where it was spreading.”
Erik Trautmann/Hearst Connecticut Media
Despite a remarkably challenging 2020, the world has taken significant strides in improving measures of testing and contact tracing.
“Recognizing that there are formidable challenges and barriers to widespread implementation of these measures, we’ve seen better containment in places where testing and contact tracing are routine (such as New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore),” Harvard Health Publishing stated. “And it seems likely that at some point we’ll have new and better tests with improved accuracy, more widespread availability (including home testing), and faster turnaround times.”
Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer
In a recent virtual event with the Duke Science and Society, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that thanks to science "we will crush" the COVID-19 outbreak.
"Biomedical research and science have given us something that just a decade ago would have seemed unimaginable,” Fauci stated. “To be able to have a new virus that we had never had experience with before ... being thrust upon us and throw us into one of the most extraordinary destructive pandemics in over 100 years. Just over the past few days, science has allowed us to have a vaccine that when we distribute it to people throughout the country, and hopefully throughout the world, we will crush this outbreak that has really terrorized us for the last 11 months, not only here in the United States, but worldwide ... it's damaged severely, the economy and lead to people suffering things, not necessarily directly related to being ill themselves, but all the secondary consequences that go with the effects of a global pandemic such as this."
Graeme Jennings/Associated Press
“The number of students applying to medical school for the upcoming 2021 academic year is up by 18%,” CNN reported. “A huge spike compared to the previous year. It's also a record considering that the Association of American Medical Colleges usually sees an increase about 1 to 3 percent year over year.”
"Just as the military saw a spike in enlistment after the 9/11 attacks,” CNN followed, “the motivating factor in this pandemic era could be the high regard Americans hold for health care professionals.
“In the face of the pandemic, the World Food Programme has demonstrated an impressive ability to intensify its efforts,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee noted.
Perhaps many Americans can calm down on the panic buying, as according to the Associated Press, distilleries across the country have used high-proof alcohol to make hand sanitizer, and are still divvying it out for free, or by donation to combat the novel coronavirus.
The Washington Distillers Guild partnered with a number of local distilleries to produce thousands of gallons of hand sanitizer to those working on the front lines treating those who have contracted the novel coronavirus.
Sue Ogrocki/AP
Analysts from the Washington Post noted a drastic decrease in major greenhouses gases over Europe earlier this year as individuals self-quarantined and cars stayed parked at home. While it's little comfort to a country ravaged by the novel coronavirus, it highlights the impact humans can make on the environment. "I expect pollution to drop even further as the particles in the atmosphere get either dispersed or absorbed," Emanuele Massetti, an expert on the economics of climate change at Georgia Tech University who has studied Italy's climate policies, told the Washington Post. "In a few days, they will enjoy the cleanest air ever in northern Italy."
Additionally, NASA recently revealed pandemic restrictions have reduced global nitrogen dioxide concentrations by nearly 20%.
A multiplicity of Seattle-area restaurants and beyond have stepped up to help those who may have lost their jobs or been impacted by the community effects of the novel coronavirus, which has shuttered many small businesses across the Emerald City. The owner of Piroshky Piroshky developed a free online delivery site for local businesses; Salare completely shifted into a relief center for restaurant workers to pick up free meals and supplies; the Intentionalist developed a gift card marketplace for restaurants to source income for the time being; and independent GoFundMe’s have raised over $250,000 to support the Seattle hospitality industry.
Lauren G/Yelp
In a bold move, Vulcan Real Estate announced it would not collect rent from small businesses and nonprofits in April. Additionally, Amazon and catering boxed lunch service Gourmondo partnered up alongside King County Housing Authority and Seattle Housing Authority to support more than 73,000 meals to those in need, including those elderly and medically-vulnerable residents. A new Seattle-based company, Weekdays, also connected parents in need with urgent childcare services as the COVID-19 outbreak closed schools and business.
Seattle Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund has donated more than $10 million in emergency grants to vulnerable workers and families, and a local initiative by the name of All-In Seattle — comprised of Seattle area residents — launched with more than $27 million in pledged donations from individuals and entities, to local organizations that are directly working with people and businesses affected by the novel coronavirus.
Seattle restaurants have also dipped their toes into the community relief scene, as Musang converted its kitchen into a community service operation to feed food insecure families, and the Central District’s Soulful Dishes teamed up with pop-up chef Tarik Abdullah to serve meals to those in need.
SDI Productions - Getty Images
While Starbucks provided free coffee to those on the front lines, Safeway and Albertsons stores throughout Washington launched a checkstand fundraiser to help get food to those in need. Through the fundraiser, the company supported Northwest Harvest, which helps seniors who are more vulnerable to the spread of the virus, to safely get access to food and provide assistance to people who have lost their jobs and incomes. The fundraiser increased delivery of "emergency food boxes" to those in need and helped get more households vouchers and gift cards to buy groceries and other items. The funds were also used to help more families enroll in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
In an effort to increase accessibility to COVID-19 testing in Seattle, Amazon used its internal medical branch, Amazon Care, and delivery network to distribute and pick up at-home testing kits in the city. For this public health initiative, Amazon Care's services were available to the public as part of a research effort backed by the Gates Foundation, of which planned to donate $3.7 million to support various response efforts to the novel coronavirus pandemic in the greater Seattle area.
A large group of burly Washington distillers gather to measure alcohol levels, all while pouring the day’s surplus into one-liter bottles and five-gallon buckets for mass production.
Yet, in the wake of the novel coronavirus, they aren’t exactly producing the usual fifths of vodka and handles of whiskey.
Instead, they are producing thousands of gallons of hand sanitizer.
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In one of many steps the Washington community is taking to combat the effects of the virus, members of the Washington Distillers Guild have banded together to take care of those on the front lines—nurses and doctors caring for a community in crisis.
The Washington Distillers Guild was established in 2008 as a non-profit organization to represent and promote the success of distilleries across the state through industry education, legislative efforts, and an active board of directors comprised of distillery owners and industry members across Washington.
In banding together, several small, family-owned distilleries in the state have officially converted their operations to produce thousands of gallons of hand sanitizer to help supply the health care chain.
“I’m proud to represent the small distilleries of the state who have stepped in to change their production and meet this urgent need, “ said Mhairi Voelsgen, founder of BROVO Spirits and president of the Washington Distillers Guild. “Distilleries have had to learn new processes and buy new equipment to be able to do this, and it represents a significant commitment to their communities.”
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Sure, distilleries have cranked out tastings, bottled goods, bourbon-infused candles, and even bottle-aged syrups over the years. But, how is it possible to legally provide mass quantities of hand sanitizer to the community?
Recently, the Trade and Tariff Bureau (part of the federal agency known as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) partnered with the FDA to give approval to distilleries and begin production of hand sanitizer to meet the needs of hospitals and health care providers across the country.
Ever since, a surplus of state and local agencies, in tandem with multiple health care facilities, have reached out to the Washington Distillers Guild to help fill this need of hand sanitizer.
In response, the guild has reached out to many small distilleries in Washington to produce the mass supply of hand sanitizer, and a vast majority have agreed.
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These quaint family operations are just one example of many small family businesses working together to provide aid and assistance in times of crisis.
The guild is now managing the flow of requests from across the state to meet demand. Health care providers and critical services can reach out to the guild directly if in need of a supply by phone at 206-496-2613, or via email at sanitizer@washingtondistillersguild.org.
Hand sanitizer is being provided in two sizes: 1-liter bottles and 5-gallon buckets.
“We’re part of the solution to make sure our hospitals and health care providers have what they need to fight this virus,” Voelsgen said. “We’re all in this together.”
Christina is an editorial assistant focusing on food, travel and lifestyle writing for the SeattlePI. She's originally from the bluegrass of Louisville, Kentucky, and earned degrees in journalism and psychology from the University of Alabama, alongside a full-stack web development certification from the University of Washington. By her previous experience writing for food and travel publications in London, England, Christina is extremely passionate about food, culture, and travel. If she's not on the phone with a local chef, she's likely learning how to fly airplanes, training for a marathon, backpacking the Pacific Crest Trail or singing along at a nearby concert.
![According to CNN, “Shipping companies FedEx and UPS started transport on Sunday [Dec. 13] and completed all first-day vaccine deliveries” of COVID-19 vaccines. “US Surgeon General Jerome Adams called the rollout of the vaccine ‘tremendous,’” CNN reported. "This is just tremendous and I'm smiling bigger than I've smiled in a long time because it has been a hard year for so many people out there, including me personally," Adams told CNN. "Today we really did get a shot of hope."](https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/10/24/43/18958536/4/ratio3x2_1920.webp "According to CNN, “Shipping companies FedEx and UPS started transport on Sunday [Dec. 13] and completed all first-day vaccine deliveries” of COVID-19 vaccines. “US Surgeon General Jerome Adams called the rollout of the vaccine ‘tremendous,’” CNN reported. \"This is just tremendous and I'm smiling bigger than I've smiled in a long time because it has been a hard year for so many people out there, including me personally,\" Adams told CNN. \"Today we really did get a shot of hope.\"")
![“Soon after its appearance [coronavirus], researchers identified the viral cause of COVID-19, mapped its genome, and tracked its spread,” reported Harvard Health Publishing. “For a virus that was unknown less than a year ago, all of these things happened quickly because of the dedication and cooperation of scientists and public health officials around the world. Imagine how things would be right now if we still did not know the cause of this terrible disease, and had no idea where it was spreading.”](https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/15/65/56/20405122/4/ratio3x2_1920.webp "“Soon after its appearance [coronavirus], researchers identified the viral cause of COVID-19, mapped its genome, and tracked its spread,” reported Harvard Health Publishing. “For a virus that was unknown less than a year ago, all of these things happened quickly because of the dedication and cooperation of scientists and public health officials around the world. Imagine how things would be right now if we still did not know the cause of this terrible disease, and had no idea where it was spreading.”")
