A hospital in New York City has come up with a novel idea to help raise the spirits of people during these trying times.
Staff from the New York-Presbyterian Queens hospital plays Don’t Stop Believin’, the smash hit from 1981 by Journey, every time a patient recovers from COVID-19 and is discharged from the hospital to go home as a healthy person.
A now-viral heartwarming video clip of the hospital from April 10 shows two patients who have beaten coronavirus taking part in the newly introduced ritual.
Nurses can be seen pushing the recovered patients through the hospital lobby before they are finally transported home.
A male patient can be seen raising his hands in a victorious style before heading home as the 80’s hit track plays in the background.
The other patient, a female, can also be seen clapping with excitement. Her smile can be felt even though her face is covered in a mask.
The hospital staff was more excited than the patients as they danced and bid farewell to the ones who have recovered from the deadly disease.
“Every patient discharge gives hope to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens staff. They are encouraged to see their patients recovering and going home,” the president of the hospital, Jaclyn Mucaria, told Storyful.
The stats from Wednesday tell that more than 100,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in NYC alone.
A New-York Presbyterian Queens nurse told The New Scientist the last month that the scenes inside the hospital resemble those of “a war zone, but without the blood.”
“It’s inconceivable. Everything we know about medicine is out the window,” said the nurse who has an experience of 40 years in the field.
On Wednesday, 725 new coronavirus related deaths took the total death toll of the disease in New York state to 11,500.
Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, said in a press conference last Wednesday that they “are not out of the woods yet.”
“Coronavirus is still a monumental public health crisis and we are losing New Yorkers every day to this virus. Each New Yorker lost to COVID is a heartbreaking loss,” he added.
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