Shifts 4/18- 4/21

Average 4 to 5 calls. Heard multiple codes dropping but we didn’t get any of them. I think it was Tuesday we were detailed to the Radission and Comfort inn. Comfort being COIVD hotel for homeless. We were tasked by the county MD to get a census update on how many people are over there and how many have symptoms and a temperature check. My partner and I had on proper PPE and went door to door asking:

Do you a cough? – followed up by is it productive? what color?

Do you feel short of breath?

Do you feel like you have a fever?

Do you have diarrhea?

followed by “Can we take your temperature real quick?

Most of these people were really really nice. A few of them startled becuase 2 EMS workers in gowns and masks and a gurney is knocking on their door and firing off these questions. The gurney was so we had something to write on. The paperwork was cumbersome and the binder was huge. They didn’t have any type of push cart for us so we improvised. Very few were rude and everyone let us take their temperature no problem. Some times they required extra knocking and calling out their name before they opened the door. We processed 75 patients and maybe 5- 7 didn’t answer the door. Of that most of them must have been PUI or had an exposure to COVID but no symptoms. Some had Symptoms but improved and dont have symptoms any more. I would say maybe 20-30 actually had COIVD symptoms. I think the rest are just being quarantined. A few of them had follow up questions for us such as “When am I going to get my ride to XYZ?” or asked us for a cigarette for asked us for an assortment of things. We would always follow up by, we are just taking a census and to call the front desk. Most of the time they weren’t happy with our answer but it was the truth. A lot of them were really friendly to us. Very polite and we did out best to make our visit as short as possible.

There is talk that the second wave will be worse than the first. And how the second wave is due to hit this winter. This is the slowest apocalypse ever. But many of the sources that I follow point to 3 things. These are the big 3 im looking out for. Economic Collapse, Food shortages and Civil Unrest. All of them being very related to one another. While all these things do give me anxiety and.. at the beginning some depression the way i cope is action. Working out every day. Hiking. Working on communications and other ways to be better prepared for what may come. Instead of reactive be proactive. Grow food. Have a mutual assistance group in place. Talk and get to know your neighbors. Have plans in place.

In an interesting turn of events, the union wants us to pickup SNF shift if we can so other brothers/ sister can work the system units and no one has to get brown out or furloughed. Im impartial about all this. While I will volunteer to work the SNF shifts, it still feels wired this is even an option. But again, as far as i know only one of ours is possible COVID which means were doing a really good job at keeping this at bay. Its the only reason i feel comfortable going to see my mom from time to time. Heres my thought process. Its all about the lowest common denominator. The guy/gal taking the least amount of precautions and doing the least amount of decon, is able to keep the COVID at bay. Which means for me, and taking all the precautions i possibly can, tells me I have a low odds that im a carrier with no symptoms. And no, I dont think any of us came down with COVID in January or February. In my opinion its wishful thinking.

My mom told me a couple nights that she is sick. Nauseous, weak and poor food/fluids intake. So naturally as her son i went to go do an assessment on her. I still wore a mask and even gloves. She wasn’t tachy, no SOB, no cough and lung sounds were clear. Gave her some anti- nausea meds and today she was able to eat a banana.