With the campus closed, a faculty member said leaving the ventilators unused "didn't make any sense."

Fanshawe College in London, ON has generously shared its supply of ventilators, normally used for training purposes in their respiratory therapy program, with the region's largest hospital, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). With their campus closed, faculty member Dave Wall told the 

 that the alternative of leaving the ventilators locked up on campus amidst the COVID-19 pandemic "didn't make any sense."

While not everyone infected with COVID-19 requires a ventilator, some who fall critically ill require them to maintain proper levels of blood oxygen.

LHSC has been contacting various educational facilities over the last week in the hopes of borrowing equipment to increase their life-saving capacity in the event of a large-scale coronavirus outbreak in the area. They routinely share equipment on an as-needed basis with other hospitals in the region, meaning Fanshawe's ventilators could end up at another facility with a more urgent need.

“This is about the greater good and making sure that we’re doing whatever we can to help," said Wall.

The London Free Press later shared in a tweet that the loan of ventilators was followed up with a donation of protective equipment, including safety glasses, masks, and gloves to other regional medical facilities. This equipment is vital in preventing the spread of COVID-19 to health care workers. 

Fanshawe College shares ventilators used for teaching with local hospitals

Fanshawe College shares ventilators used for teaching with hospitals

Commençant en soirée du 20 mars, les personnes âgées de plus de 70 ans qui sont surtout vulnérables à la COVID-19 recevront des messages avec consignes du gouvernement directement sur leurs téléphones.

La comédienne Dominique Michel et le présentateur de nouvelles Bernard Derome ont enregistré des messages téléphoniques destinés aux personnes aînées du Québec afin de leur rappeler de respecter les consignes du gouvernement provincial pour lutter contre la pandémie de COVID-19.

En plus de leur donner de l’information importante, ces messages visent à rassurer et à apporter du réconfort.

Pour aider les personnes aînées, Dominique Michel et Bernard Derome enregistrent des messages téléphoniques informationnels

In the adorable video, a woman sits in the trunk of her car in the parking lot outside her mother’s first floor unit while the two chat happily on the phone.

A heartwarming tweet from Schlegel Villages, a company that manages retirement and long term care centres across Southern Ontario, shows the lengths people will go to in order to stay in touch with loved ones while practicing social distancing.

In the adorable video, Gloria of Hamilton, ON can be seen sitting in the trunk of her car in the parking lot outside her mother Francis’ first floor unit at one of Schlegel’s facilities while the two chat happily on the phone. It had been two weeks since mother and daughter had seen each other in person.

According to the Schlegel Villages website, none of their centres are currently allowing non-essential visitors in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which excludes those wishing to check in on healthy family members. “The technology [for remote visits] is available...we just have to tap into it and make it work for everyone,” they later 

Towards the end of the video, Gloria can be heard telling her mother, “I just wanted to see your face.” 

VIDEO: Loved ones get creative with retirement centre visits

En préparation pour l'éventuelle vague de la COVID-19, Dr Gauthier double la capacité des soins par ventilateurs dans son hôpital à Perth, Ontario.

 sur Youtube créé par Charlene Babcock, une médecin urgentiste du Michigan qui a étudié l’idée de doubler les patients sur un seul ventilateurs, c’est là que Dr Gauthier a été inspiré. 

En utilisant deux tubes au lieu d’un sur un ventilateur et en doublant sa puissance, il a permis de doubler le nombre de patients ventilés en dernier recours.

Dr Gauthier explique qu’un bon nombre de la population de Perth et Smiths Falls sont plus âgés et seront plus à risque s’ils sont touchés par la pandémie de la COVID-19. C’est pourquoi ces sortes de solutions créatives sont extrêmement utile, surtout dans les milieu rural, où la possibilité pour un hôpital d’augmenter sa capacité d’urgence pourrait être limitée.

Ses collègues étaient très enthousiasmés par cette découverte. Dr Alan Drummond, un médecin urgentiste à l’hôpital, a mentionné qu’il avait même rompu le protocole de distanciation sociale pour faire un câlin au Dr Gauthier.

Un médecin canadien double la capacité des ventilateurs

Un Médecin double la capacité des ventilateurs

The group has rounded up thousands of gloves and masks from local nail salons, spas, and veterinary clinics.

A group of volunteers in London, ON, staying home from work due to COVID-19 concerns, have come together to do what they can for their local health care workers.

Their primary goal is to ensure medical facilities around the city are well-stocked with supplies in case the virus hits hard. So far, the group has supplied thousands of units of gloves and masks to clinics in the area. They’ve gone directly to suppliers, as well as local nail salons, spas, and veterinary hospitals.

Diana House, a local real estate investor and developer told the London Free Press: “It’s been a really beautiful thing to see the community get together,” House said. “It’s very grassroots, very much evolving. The goal is to keep the medical clinics open for as long as possible to divert as many people away from the hospital as we can.”

London, ON residents ‘love-bomb’ doctors with much needed supplies

Over 200 masks were pulled off the shelves and delivered to Lions Gate Hospital.

Hospitals across Canada are facing personal protective equipment shortages, news of which prompted Windsor Plywood in Vancouver, BC to offer their supply of N95 masks up to nearby Lions Gate Hospital. N95 masks are said to offer up to 5x protection against the COVID-19 virus.

 in a video call that upon suggesting the donation of the masks to his boss, he was directed to: “Pull them off the shelves right away.”

A rep from Lions Gate Hospital Foundation told CBC that the over 200 masks were “delivered with a big smile, and received with a big smile as well.”

Vancouver plywood store donates surplus of N95 masks to a local hospital

Vancouver plywood store donates surplus of N95 masks to local hospital

Their supply of more than 5,000 bottles was exhausted in days, however wineries and importers from across the region have stepped up to help.

Dillon’s Distillery in Beamsville, ON is best known for their innovative lineup of small batch liquors, including Rose Gin and Absinthe, to which they can now proudly add “Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer”. Though not potable, their sanitizer is made of high proof alcohol distilled on site and aloe vera. Conventional hand sanitizer has become a scarce commodity in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Already a socially conscious company, their spent rye is given to local farmers to use as animal feed according to their 

, Dillon’s is offering their free sanitizer to those who need it most: hospitals, shelters, long term care facilities, EMS teams, police departments, and other essential services. 

In an Instagram post, the distillery shared that although their supply of more than 5000 bottles was exhausted in just a few days, wineries and importers from across the region have stepped up to help, offering supplies like bottles and alcohol. Dillon’s initial tweet announcing the product has been favourited over 10,000 times.

The heartwarming tale even made it past the desk of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who tweeted calling the act: “...the heart of Ontario spirit.”

Dillon’s encourages those keen to support the initiative to purchase their regular products from either their 

Ontario distillery crafts homemade sanitizer for frontline workers

Ontario distillery crafts homemade sanitizer

More than 100 have stepped up to the plate, offering to babysit and run errands for hospital staff in their community.

Eager to combat feelings of “helplessness” amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of med school students at McMaster University are volunteering to serve health care providers in their community. Mass closures across Canada, aiming to slow the spread of the virus, have left many healthcare workers in the lurch when it comes to taking care of their families and pets. 

130 students and counting have stepped up to the plate, offering to babysit, petsit, and grocery shop for frontline hospital staff across the Greater Hamilton Area, Niagara Region, and Waterloo. Classes have moved online, so the hard-working students are doing it all on top of coursework and exam prep. 

The grassroots initiative, led by McMaster student Mary Boulos, offers separate signup forms for those 

 support. Health care workers are matched with volunteers who meet their availability and service needs.

Boulos and her classmates found inspiration from peers at 

 in Vancouver. It’s a student movement likely to sweep the country.

While a followup tweet described the response from fellow med students as “

” there remains a significant need for volunteers experienced in childcare. Boulos encourages students from across health sciences, from nursing to midwifery, to join the charge.

“We saw this as an opportunity to really step up… to help people on the frontlines,” Boulos said.