Manaus (Brazil) (AFP)

Haylena Barbosa would never have imagined that the second wave of the coronavirus would bring her hometown of Manaus to her knees, but far from being defeated, this 22-year-old Brazilian has stopped working to help others.

"We were following the news and we decided to do something," the young woman told AFP, as she delivered lunches with friends in the capital of the northern state of Amazonas.

In mid-January, the health infrastructure of Amazonas came close to collapse, with the death of a hundred people from asphyxiation due to the lack of oxygen in hospitals overwhelmed by the influx of Covid patients -19.

Faced with such a shock wave, Haylena and her friends began to ask for help on social networks and to collect donations: food, money or various services.

On the first day, they handed out hydroalcoholic gel and absorbent paper.

A week later, in addition to more than 120 meals a day, they could distribute medical equipment in localities of this vast state of 4.2 million inhabitants, thanks to donations, some of which come from other states.

"I had not imagined the proportion that would take," said with emotion the young girl with the soft voice who stopped working in the family business to devote herself to this improvised support network.

The day begins when her 23-year-old friend Gustavo Maia arrives at her house, with whom she defines the daily action plan.

“We got organized bit by bit. We were able to get in touch with a few hospitals who told us what drugs and equipment they needed,” says Haylena.

Donations allow them to buy the products they distribute along with meals for frontline healthcare workers in the fight against covid-19, which has already claimed more than 4,000 lives in the city of Manaus alone.

On social networks, they promote themselves and publish their accounts under the name of "Açao Covid" (action covid).

"In the evening there is nothing left, but the next morning we have new gifts," says Gustavo.

The young man wears a double mask, but we see him smiling.

"It's amazing, only God can explain that!"

This weekend, the group of friends will carry out their most ambitious action: deliver 40 cylinders of oxygen to a town four hours away.

"It was only last night that I realized the distance!", Gustavo jokes without losing his smile.

Both Haylena and Gustavo were infected last year, when Manaus was swept away by an already terrible first wave.

But even if they fear reinfection, they say they are determined to continue their mission.

- "Help others" -

With this new wave, Manaus knows many other examples of youth solidarity.

Thalyta Tamer, 22, has decided to act as a relay between overworked doctors at Joao Lucio Hospital and families who are suffering from not being able to see their sick relatives.

Social assistance in a public company, she can thus benefit from her empathy and her composure.

With a cell phone, she allows Carla Cristine to talk on video with her hospitalized father.

After this call, the young woman bursts into tears.

"The doctors are overwhelmed and thanks to (Thalyta) I can talk to my father every day. I will never thank her enough," she said.

When the call is over, Thalyta immediately devotes herself to another family, who gave her the identity papers of a loved one so that she could locate him in the hospital.

"I give the best of myself to help these people, I treat them as if they were my family", said the young girl, "my task is to help others".

These moments are usually painful.

But not always.

“I rejoice when a patient leaves the hospital, I rejoice in the victories,” Thalyta says.

She was able to receive a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine as immunization began this week in Brazil.

"You have to have faith and strength and believe that it will all pass," she said.

© 2021 AFP