COVID-19/CORONA VIRUS POLL

F350-6 said:

If it was in the US in December, it would have spread as quick as it did in China in January.

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General Zod said:

A friend's cousin has it (confirmed case). She's freaking out because he lives alone and is barely able to get out of bed due to the body aches - but he's been turned away from the ER because he doesn't need a ventilator yet.

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oldag said:

In what city is she being turned away from the hospital?

May the Good Lord send His healing upon her.

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kbaxter60 said:

And who's to say it didn't? Since many show no symptoms at all, I think it could be circulating and not really make a blip on the radar. If it caused deaths in a locality, docs might think "hmm, flu causing pneumonia". I could see this happening.

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jeepinbanditrider said:

There are 5 confirmed cases in my dept, I know all those guys, with almost a 1/3rd of the department being out at one time for exposures and on isolation.

My brother may have it he's waiting on testing to come back has all the symptoms.

I have a friend in NYC working as a contract nurse. Pay is insane but the hospital they're in has 800 ICU beds setup with more being put into overflow in parts of the hospital that aren't being currently used due to pandemic. Every one of those 800 beds has a patient and every. single. one. is on a ventilator. They sent a picture of the 10 18 wheeler trailers they have lined up outside the hospital for corpse overflow.

They're digging 300 foot long trenches for unclaimed body burial. Which is not uncommon for them to bury unclaimed bodies from homeless deaths and whatnot but their numbers are way up over normal.

I'm by no means saying panic and buy everything you can and lock yourselves away but I am saying don't just dismiss this threat as nothing and be smart about how you go about you day. Hell even I wear a mask out in public now. Never thought I'd do that. Didn't wear one at the range though, I was the only one there ha.

Edit- Also take note. There's certain policy changes being made as far as CPRs go for EMS programs in the Dallas County area. Basically if you are over 18, have either tested positive for COVID or live in a household that has COVID positive patients in it, CPR will no longer be performed once this policy is in place. Resuscitation via CPR already has a pretty low success rate to start with but now with COVID in the mix they're deciding that the risk factor is too high for responders. CPR creates a crazy amount of aerosolized body fluids.

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Axxe55 said:

So new EMS policy is, if they suspect coronavirus, they no longer feel the need to save a life?

Sort of conflicts with the entire purposes of their job I would think.

Kind of like playing God, deciding who to expend the energy to save, or who to let die.

And pray tell, just how would EMS know who might or might not have the virus?

I'm sorry, but there's a lot that stinks about that policy if it's true.

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jeepinbanditrider said:

I held the draft in my hand and read it so it's true. Many Fire/EMS folks aren't happy about it and have made it known they aren't. These policies come down from doctors (and probably a whole bunch of lawyers) who form what's known as our "Medical Control". Paramedics and EMTs don't just run around doing whatever they want. We're under the Medical Control of a higher authority within the system.

It has to be a confirmed case not just a suspected case. One way to know is to ask when you arrive on scene if anyone in the house has it. Another is dispatch notes.

As far as playing god, Italy and Spain have been doing it for a while in regards to ventilators. Got two patients one is 20 and healthy the other is 60 with pre existing conditions. Only have one ventiltaor. Guess who's getting it?

Unless there's a bystander right there doing CPR when you drop your chance of being saved via CPR is pretty low. Like in the single digits percentage wise. If you happen to have a bystander there that has the know how and is willing to do it your success rate goes up to just under 50 percent. And this varies from place to place as CPR protocols are different everywhere. But those are just general numbers. Apparently these medical controls are figuring the risk of workers contracting COVID during a CPR from a known patient (which again makes a ton of aerosolized body fluids). COmbine those already low stats with someone who succumbed to a respiratory virus and your success rate went' even further down.

I havne't been doing this a long time but have still done a lot of CPRs. I can count on one hand how many saves we've gotten from it and they've all been bystander started CPRs before we ever got there.

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General Zod said:

A friend's cousin has it (confirmed case). She's freaking out because he lives alone and is barely able to get out of bed due to the body aches - but he's been turned away from the ER because he doesn't need a ventilator yet.

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jeepinbanditrider said:

It's risk assessment. Plain and simple, trust me a lot of guys here are in the same boat as you and don't agree with it.

Also keep in mind that was just a draft. It could easily wind up just going in the trashcan after the lawyers get done with it. Protocol as of right now is same as it was before but we have to be PPEd up. Gown, Goggles, N95 or higher mask, ect.

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GoPappy said:

I would be looking for a doc that could prescribe some chloroquine and azithromycin.

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Dad_Roman said:

I have quit watching the news.

Is that still illegal in NY??? Last I heard Cuomo wasnt havin none of it.

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