EMS Personnel Experience Substantial Exposure to COVID-19 Patients in Confined Spaces, ESO Data Show

ESO, a data and software company serving emergency medical services (EMS), fire departments, hospitals, and state EMS offices today shared insights from more than 9,900 EMS encounters for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 that occurred between October 1 to November 30, 2020. Data are from the ESO Data Collaborative. The data show EMS personnel, on average, spend more than 30 minutes with each COVID-19 patient, of which an average of 15 of these minutes take place during the transport period of an encounter in the back of an ambulance, often a confined, poorly ventilated space. According to industry standards, the typical Type II (van-based) ambulance is 186 cubic feet, while Type III (modular) ambulances are 350 cubic feet. The typical hospital room is more than 900 cubic feet. Additionally, increases in COVID-19 cases and deaths continue in many communities across the country, including a surge in 911 calls related to COVID-19 that hover close to 1,200 a day. Moreover, despite recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), at least 10 states are currently likely to exclude EMS personnel from the highest priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine. “Based on our data, we see that EMS providers are spending substantial amounts of time with COVID-19 patients in enclosed spaces, often before knowing that the patient is positive,” said Dr. Brent Myers, Chief Medical Officer for ESO. “In urba...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Coronavirus News ESO Source Type: news