Fire departments ask for help to deal with COVID

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — The Annapolis and Anne Arundel County occurrence departments are asking for the community’s assistance successful alleviating the strain its archetypal responders are facing arsenic a effect of the strain COVID-19 and its variants are causing.

The positivity complaint successful the region has reached 30 percent, resulting successful an intensive attraction portion occupancy complaint of astir 92 percent, according to region Health Department information the occurrence departments cited successful a statement.

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The departments are asking radical to debar going to exigency departments for insignificant illnesses, specified arsenic coughs, colds, low-grade fevers and question attraction from superior attraction physicians oregon urgent attraction centers, and besides to not get COVID-19 tests from exigency rooms. Residents are asked to spell find an approved COVID-19 investigating tract from the state oregon usage a location investigating kit.

Residents are asked to bounds 911 calls to imaginable life-threatening conditions, including:

• Chest pains oregon persistent symptom oregon unit successful the chest
• Trouble breathing oregon shortness of breath
• Blueish lips oregon face
• Severe symptom that is caller and doesn’t spell away
• Traumatic injury
• Unconscious oregon altered intelligence status
• New disorder oregon inability to arouse
• Stroke
• Overdose
• Allergic absorption with swelling and/or respiratory difficulty
• Seizure
• Diabetic emergencies
• Life-threatening intelligence wellness issues (e.g., suicidal)
• Burns
• Childbirth (active labour oregon complications)

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Paramedics and exigency aesculapian technicians volition measure mild symptoms that are apt owed to a viral illness, according to the statement. If the lawsuit is mild, they whitethorn counsel location attraction oregon a sojourn with a doc is much due than a travel to the exigency room.

COVID-19 is threatening to overwhelm wellness attraction providers and the wellness attraction strategy overall, according to the statement. Increased numbers of hospitalizations person led to longer diligent hold times and a shortage of disposable beds. Some patients with nonlife-threatening emergencies whitethorn hold for extended periods, sometimes exceeding 24 hours. Calling 911 for an ambulance does not warrant faster care, the departments said, adding immoderate patients whitethorn beryllium taking to different regions, which takes paramedics retired of the region for extended times and makes them unavailable for urgent calls similar bosom attacks and accidents.

The section asks those who request accusation and related resources connected COVID-19 to sojourn the county Health Department.

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