When I was reporting the touching stories of Good Samaritans working during the fifth wave of COVID-19 in Hong Kong, some of my friends joined the citywide volunteer campaign and became part of such stories themselves.

One of them, a petite woman who majored in social work and now works as an insurance broker, has used her spare time since late last month to help coordinate anti-pandemic work among social groups.

In addition to helping the groups recruit more volunteers, she contacted communities to distribute anti-pandemic materials. During one operation to deliver necessities to homes where all family members were infected with COVID-19, she drew a cartoon portrait of her idol, singer Lin Yanjun, on the back of her protective suit to encourage herself. Afterward, she rewarded herself with a meal of fried chicken.

Another of the volunteers is a financial worker who used her annual leave to help the Hong Kong government package anti-pandemic materials. "I have received care from others for more than two years, so now it's my turn to return that warmth and kindness," she said.

Due to a COVID-19 outbreak late last month in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, many residential estates were off limits to outsiders for two weeks, including the one I live in.

With activity confined to a small yard, estate management staff members offered assistance to residents.

The residents shared their views of which online platform delivered food the quickest. When I met two foreigners during a walk, I asked them whether they had enough food and if they had any communication difficulties during the pandemic.

In Shanghai, as supplies of daily essentials dwindled during the current lockdown, local residents initiated group buying of groceries for neighbors. Numerous shared documents containing vital and new anti-pandemic information also went viral online.

In these dark times, such examples of mutual assistance and resilience have bolstered courage and confidence to overcome adversity.

If there is one thing the pandemic has taught me, it is that when a crisis hits, the determination of people deepens, and as we wait for help from afar, we must know how to save ourselves and those closest to us.

As a post by one of my volunteer friends states, "When we encounter difficulties, people who are capable of helping others should take the initiative to do more, so that we can support each other to move forward."