SLED DOGS DELIVER SUPPLIES
Hannah Lucas, a Circle K clerk in rural Caribou Maine, has taken it upon herself to deliver food and supplies to seniors who cannot leave home due to COVID-19 risk. But her method of delivery is rather unique – she makes house calls on a sled with her team of Siberian huskies. Read the full story from NPR here.
“I think about my grandparents who are in their 70s and I wouldn’t want anything to happen to anyone. So anything I can do to help, I will.”
Musher Hannah Lucas
To date, Maine has been spared the brunt of the pandemic. Currently, the state has tallied only 432 confirmed infections and 9 deaths. However, according to a US News ranking, Maine has a disproportionately elderly population as compared to the rest of the United States. 21% of residents are over age 65 and the median age is 44.9 years – the highest in the country. This may pose a problem for the state as data indicates that elderly people are most susceptible to serious illness and death from the coronavirus. According to a March 16 report from the CDC, the COVID-19 fatality rate in the US is highest in persons aged 85+, ranging from 10% to 27%, followed by 3% to 11% among persons aged 65–84 years.
Hopefully legions of good samaritans like Hannah Lucas continue to step up to assist the most vulnerable in our communities.