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Medical TV Drama The Resident Donates Supplies to Atlanta Hospital amid Coronavirus Outbreak. Hospitals and healthcare providers across the United States are facing a shortage in protective medical equipment amid the virus spread. The cast of medical drama The Resident is helping save lives in real life after donating their medical supplies from the show to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The Fox series, which films in Atlanta, has postponed filming its third season due to the pandemic, and on Wednesday, they donated boxes of personal protective equipment (PPE) that doctors and healthcare workers are in desperate need of amid the virus outbreak. "'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To the entire team @theresidentonfox, thank you for this incredibly generous donation of #PPE from your set, including gowns, masks, gloves, and all the things our healthcare workers need to provide safe care for our community during #COVID19," Dr. Karen Law, a rheumatologist at Grady Hospital, shared on Instagram. "Yesterday, I had a serious discussion with the residents about how, though supplies are low, a magical shipment of masks is unlikely to arrive. And yet, a magical shipment of masks DID arrive, in the form of this very generous gesture," she added. "This kind of community support means so much to our #frontlineproviders who are making many sacrifices to staff our hospitals and care for our community. Thank you, @theresidentonfox and @foxtv for being helpers. We needed this kind of good news today." According to Entertainment Weekly, ABC's The Good Doctor also plans to donate its supplies to a hospital in Vancouver, while Station 19 donated N95 masks to the City of Ontario Fire Department. Hospitals and healthcare providers across the United States are facing a shortage of medical protective equipment while helping to care for thousands of coronavirus patients. Some doctors are reporting having to reuse their masks -- which are only meant for single use -- for days at a time. Others have even started to make DIY face shields out of marine-grade vinyl, industrial tape, foam and elastic, CNN reported. "There are folks who say that every night they take the mask home, they spray both sides with bleach and they hang it up to dry and they hope that's gonna work," Laura Wooster, the associate executive director of public affairs at the American College of Emergency Physicians, told The Hill. "So, it's pretty bad," she added. Health and government officials are urging Americans to refrain from purchasing the PPE equipment, like face masks, for personal use as doctors and nurses need the gear to keep them safe while caring for infected patients. "We have that constant exposure, and we need to be protected," Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, a nurse at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, told The Hill. "If we get sick, we won't be able to take care of those who are sick." During Wednesday's press briefing, President Donald Trump said he would invoke the Defense Production Act, a 1950 wartime law, to help make up for the medical supply shortage, CNN reported. As of Thursday morning, there have been at least 8,317 confirmed cases of coronavirus confirmed and 147 deaths in the U.S., according to a New York Times database. (People)

The Friends Reunion Will Be Delayed Due to Coronavirus. Our Friends might not be there for us just yet, but it's for the good of us all. HBO Max's planned Friends reunion special is going to have to be delayed, due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The special was supposed to film next week, but that has been postponed as with the filming of most productions for the time being. The reunion special was meant to premiere along with the launch of HBO Max in May. Now, filming will likely be delayed until at least May, per Variety, so we'll just have to settle for having all 10 seasons of Friends to binge again while we wait for the special to happen. The unscripted special, which was confirmed by HBO Max in February, will reunite Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer along with creators Marta Kauffman, Kevin Bright, and David Crane. It's supposed to be filmed on the show's original soundstage at Warner Bros Studios. Friends joins hundreds of other Hollywood productions in shutting down for the safety of the cast and crew in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Warner Bros, which produces Friends, released a statement last week about the situation. "With the rapidly changing events related to COVID-19, and out of an abundance of caution, Warner Bros. Television Group is halting production on some of our 70+ series and pilots currently filming or about to begin," they said. "There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on any of our productions, but the health and safety of our employees, casts and crews remains our top priority. During this time, we will continue to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control as well as local officials and public health professionals in each city where our productions are based." You can keep up with all of the industry productions and events that have been affected by the pandemic with our updated guide. (Eonline)