By Swatil Binte Mahmud, Blogger, Lava Protocols
All my family members have been affected by the COVID-19 virus, except my sister and me. I have two frontline medical professionals in my family, and since the beginning of the pandemic, it felt like we have been on a battlefield ever since. I live in an area where the coronavirus situation and infection rate are on the rise. Nations such as India have helped their neighboring countries with vaccine donations, and are now themselves struggling to cope with the virus. The situation in India is getting worse every day which is evident in the smoke in the air from mass cremations. A Salesforce employee from India lost 10 loved ones to the virus. Throughout the world, people of Indian descent are glued to their phones as they try to secure medical support for sick family members and wait for updates via WhatsApp.
This is the hidden global toll of the COVID-19 tragedy: no matter where you live, it is all but certain that one of your neighbors is suffering at the most primal, deep level. India is not the only country grieving; the entire globe is. India’s plan to send vaccines to the African continent has now been postponed. Countries like Mongolia, Nepal, and Myanmar also face impending health and economic crises.
Companies and corporations need to ramp up their support of India, Nepal, Africa, South America, and other low- and middle-income regions, or the suffering will magnify — and it will magnify around the world as new strains kick off a new wave of COVID worldwide. Over the past year, the public sector has faced monumental challenges associated with the pandemic. Hence, governments have found innovative ways to overcome these difficulties. One of the ways is by creating public and private sector partnerships (PPPs) between governments and businesses.
The COVAX initiative, a global alliance between the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), the World Health Organization (WHO), and other partners, will deliver at least two billion vaccine doses to countries in need by the end of 2021. Salesforce provides a pro bono platform that enables the distribution of vaccines at this scale. On June 2, Salesforce kicked off a matching campaign for COVAX. They have urged other companies to join them in supporting colleagues and communities who are currently impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
Many of the world’s largest companies have stepped up to help those in need during the coronavirus pandemic. Here is how they did it:
Salesforce:
Cloud software giant Salesforce has announced multiple ways it is helping businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. One of its most notable is a free COVID-19 care response solution for health workers and systems and free access to software for small businesses wanting to help customers remotely. The company also announced it would give small business grants of $10,000 per company to U.S. based businesses impacted by COVID-19. Salesforce also sent a plane with oxygen concentrators and pulse oximeters to New Delhi in partnership with HSBC. They have donated $1 million to relief efforts and their employees have raised nearly $900 thousand in employee-inspired giving. They have also set up a 24/7 helpline for employees and family members who need information on hospital beds, testing, and more. Demonstrating the impact businesses have when they come together, Salesforce helped organize a global coalition of more than 40 companies that have mobilized $28 million to support organizations meeting pressing needs across India. Google, IBM, and Deloitte have also joined Salesforce in supporting relief efforts.
Intel:
Intel pledged $40 million in funding as part of a pandemic response initiative. Part of the funding is to accelerate access to technology at the point of patient care and speed scientific research.
Amazon:
Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, was founded in Seattle. When coronavirus began impacting retailers, Amazon started a $5 million Neighborhood Small Business Relief Fund to help Seattle small businesses impacted by COVID-19.
Apple:
Electronics giant Apple company donated 10 million N95 masks to U.S. medical facilities. On top of the donations, Apple also developed its own COVID-19 screening tool, and it is working with Google on a contact tracing solution to help track people’s exposure to the virus.
Facebook:
Facebook is giving back to small businesses hurt by coronavirus by offering up to $100 million in cash grants and ads to those impacted. The program will help up to 30,000 eligible small businesses in more than 30 countries.
Jon Fee, the senior vice president of Salesforce.org said, “Every company can help, and every company should. There is no such thing as a small donation — especially in a time of crisis.” Hence, Salesforce is working on an unprecedented scale to solve pandemic-related problems as efficiently as possible. Geeta Nayyar, GM, Healthcare and Life Sciences and Executive Medical Director for Salesforce believes company support will be a critical piece of recovery from the COVID-19 and can help end the global cycle of the pandemic. The post-COVID world will bring its own unique difficulties and setbacks. Still, with the combined power of successful companies around the world, we can prepare to tackle these problems head-on and hope for a better future.
Lava Protocols is an authorized Salesforce Partner. Need solutions to pandemic-related operational issues? Drop us an email to schedule your demo: hello@lavaprotocols.com.