MALIBÚ, California, USA (AP) - After nearly a decade helping troubled communities abroad, Sean Penn joins the fight against the coronavirus much closer to home.
CORE, the disaster relief organization led by Oscar-winning actor, has partnered with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's office and the city's fire department to safely conduct free tests of COVID-19 people with symptoms of the virus from their cars. He and his team, dressed in protective suits, are also administering tests in their Malibu city.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-xgCNblE2N/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Penn hopes the program can "save lives and alleviate resource depletion." CORE, short for Community Organized Relief Effort, took letters to help rebuild Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and devastating Hurricane Matthew.
The actor said that he and his team decided to "pull the trigger" very quickly to help manage the test sites.
"We have an infrastructure in place to respond, so we decided we would if we could be value-added," Penn said in an interview this week. “It's something we can adapt to very quickly with initial training from the Los Angeles Fire Department. And then we can send all those firefighters back to help the people who need it on the road. ”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-gTqkMle9H/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
So far, CORE has provided more than 6,500 free trials since March 30. The organization is operating at four sites with plans to expand and since Friday manages a new location in Los Angeles.
Some 60 people are working on this initiative in California, including 10 Peace Corps volunteers.
"Getting more people tested will help Angelenos receive the necessary care and flatten the curve more quickly to reduce the spread of COVID-19," Garcetti said in a statement. "We are working closely with these extraordinary partners to expand access and increase capacity - and we are grateful to all the people who have stepped forward to strengthen this work."
Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Jeff Gorell said in a tweet that CORE's efforts will absorb the workload of the city's fire department and free rescuers for emergency services.
Most coronavirus patients experience mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough, which disappear within two to three weeks. But some, especially the elderly and people with previous medical problems, can experience more serious complications such as pneumonia, and even death.
Almost everyone recovers from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, those with mild symptoms recover in about two weeks, while those with a more severe condition may take three to six weeks to recover.
Penn hopes that other nonprofits and local governments will also join in operating test sites. Meanwhile, he said everyone should wash their hands thoroughly and often.
"Wash your hands because this is mostly 'hand to mouth', as far as we know," he said. "(Their hands) have to be really crispy, or they're not doing it right."