Or having a severe asthma attack and fighting for every breath but having to wait an extra minute or two for help. The winter Covid-19 surge has been the worst surge of this pandemic in the US. And it's impacting patients who don't even have coronavirus by increasing ambulance response times and ER wait times. "As resources get stretched thin, it just takes longer to respond," said Shawn Baird, president of the American Ambulance Association.
Covid-19 infections surge as states struggle to vaccinate 02:25And in hard-hit Los Angeles County, some ambulances with patients on board have waited for hours outside hospitals because they're out of space. "We are waiting two to four hours minimum to a hospital, and now we are having to drive even further ... then wait another three hours," EMT Jimmy Webb told CNN affiliate KCAL.
California doctor explains LA County ambulance guidance 02:18If the patient has no signs of breathing or a pulse, EMS will try to resuscitate the patient for at least 20 minutes. If the patient is stabilized during that time, they would then be taken to a hospital.But if no pulse is restored, paramedics will not take the patient to the hospital.The guidance isn't very different from how EMS previously handled cardiac arrest patients, Gausche-Hill said.
Covid-19 kills 1 person every 8 minutes in LA county. Hear from EMTs 03:14"There's no mutual aid to turn to. They're all facing the same emergency we are," Baird said. "Ultimately that can lead to longer response times. It can lead to a triaging of what gets a response versus what may not get a response."For those suffering a heart attack or stroke, every minute is critical.
Joe why are you letting this happen? Why?
After receiving my second covid vaccination, I'm realizing if we do attempt 100 million vaccinations in 100 days, ERs are going to be swamped with (normal, expected) vaccine reactions.
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