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Doctors and nurses at two hospitals in New York and Michigan are providing patients who recently overcame the coronavirus with an important musical message: "Don't Stop Believin."
In a video taken by the New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital, health care workers draped in protective gear are seen cheering and dancing to the famous 1981 song by Journey as they surround two discharged patients in wheelchairs who recently beat the virus.
Both of the patients were captured clapping during the song, with one eventually raising both fists in the air as a sign of victory.
“As a message of hope during these challenging times, #NYPQueens plays Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” throughout the hospital each time a #COVID19 patient is discharged and on the road to recovery,” the hospital wrote in a message along with the video.
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The song is helping to serve as an inspiration for health care workers tirelessly working on the front lines as they risk their lives assisting others during the ongoing pandemic.
Jaclyn Mucaria, president of New York-Presbyterian Queens, told "Good Morning America" the song is giving staff as much hope as the patients.
"Every patient discharge gives hope to New York-Presbyterian Queens staff. They are encouraged to see their patients recovering and going home," Mucaria said, according to the website.
Steve Perry, the former lead singer of the iconic band, acknowledged the hospital's video on Twitter as word grew about the use of his song for those who beat COVID-19.
"I wanted to share a little cheer from New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital in NY. They play “Don’t Stop Believin’” every time a COVID-19 patient is discharged," he wrote. "We’re all in this together, and we’ll get through this together. #DontStopBelievin."
The song is also being echoed through the halls at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Mich., as a rallying call and message of the eventual light at the end of the tunnel -- as more than 900 Henry Ford Health System employees have tested positive for COVID-19, an official said on Monday, per The Detroit News.
"The song is a sign of hope, a reminder to patients to never give up and a motivational thank-you to tired, never-stop-trying team members," said Veronica Hall, president of Henry Ford Hospital and a registered nurse.
She said "Don't Stop Believin'" was chosen because the "days can be long and hard and come with many losses and unprecedented stress.”
The hit song has been played each day over the past week.
Medical workers cheer and acknowledge pedestrians and FDNY firefighters who gathered to applaud them at 7 p.m. outside Brooklyn Hospital Center on Tuesday in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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New York -- the hardest-hit state in the U.S., has seen more than 203,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and at least 10,800 deaths as of early Wednesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins.
Michigan -- the third hardest-hit state in terms of fatalities -- has more than 27,000 confirmed cases and at least 1,760 deaths from the virus.
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