Lately, bad news about the spread of the Novel Coronavirus has consumed everyone’s lives. But despite the pandemic’s effects on the economy and the rising death toll, there’s still plenty of good news in the world, too. Here are eight “good news” stories that are sure to brighten your day:
1. The cutest meerkats were born at Zoo Miami.
On January 18th, a meerkat named Yam Yam birthed the first baby meerkats in the history of Zoo Miami. With the help of her meerkat brothers, Yam Yam is thriving, and her pups are happy. Via Zoo Miami’s webcam, you can watch the two pups, who have now opened their eyes and started exploring their habitat, grow up in real time.
2. The Notre Dame Bell has rung again.
On the anniversary of the fire that nearly burned down the Notre Dame Cathedral, the cathedral’s famous 17th century bell rang for the first time since the fire. Its beautiful sound serves not only as a source of hope to the city of Paris, where the cathedral is located, but also to the whole world. The cathedral still stands tall after the tragedy, and we will be too when the pandemic ends.
3. Animals everywhere are finding fur-ever homes.
As of April 8th, people have adopted all of Chicago Animal Care and Control’s animals. This is a historical first for the animal shelter, and in the city of Chicago, so many people have applied to foster animals that there’s currently a waiting list. The United States as a whole has also seen an uptick in adoptions, and many quarantined Americans are choosing to foster cats and dogs until they find their forever families.
4. Our climate is healing because everyone is staying home.
One unexpected benefit of the statewide lockdown orders in response to the pandemic is cleaner air and water. Multiple countries have seen a drop in greenhouse gas emissions and pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic, including Italy, China, and the United States. While climate change still remains a looming problem in our world, the environment is slowly recovering from hundreds of years of damage, and scientists are planning ways for us to sustain our environmental progress after the pandemic.
5. “Dogtor” Loki is in the building.
Dogtor Loki, a therapy rottweiler, is assisting his med-student mom in delivering care packages to Maryland nurses during the COVID-19 crisis. So far, the adorable duo has delivered over 1,400 “hero healing kits” to health care providers whose protective equipment is irritating their skin. Also, if you’d like to help the team donate more kits, check out Dogtor Loki’s Amazon wishlist.
6. People are showing how much they care about their neighbors.
Over the past few weeks, the media has reported countless stories of neighbors going out of their way to bring joy to their fellow community members. One of my personal favorite stories is of Casey Drake, a Florida mother who makes chalk drawings to cheer up her neighbors. You can check out more of Casey’s uplifting, artsy messages on her Instagram.
7. A 100 year-old-veteran is still serving the world.
To celebrate his 100th birthday, Captain Tom Moore set a goal to walk 100 lengths of his backyard to raise money for the National Health Service (NHS). The British veteran hoped to raise £500,000 ($622,365.00 USD), but he quickly exceeded his goal and has raised £15,895,153.32 ($19,786,286.85 USD)… and counting! If you’d like to support Captain Moore in his mission, check out his fundraising page.
8. Australia may be the first country to eliminate cervical cancer.
According to a new study, changes to Australia’s cervical cancer prevention program as well as increasing amounts of HPV vaccinations will make it the first country in the world to eliminate cervical cancer. The research also suggests that by 2022, cervical cancer will be labeled a “rare disease,” with fewer than 6 cases in 100,000. We also expect the country to eliminate cervical cancer by 2035, which is great news for women everywhere!
Although it’s easy to lose yourself in all of the bad Coronavirus news, take some time to celebrate all the positive things happening in the world. This good news reminds us that we can (and will) come out on the other side of this pandemic with hope and strength.
Featured Photo via Pexels
