COVID-19

Public Safety-oriented information and resources on the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19.

September 24, 2020Read more...

Seasonal Flu in the Midst of COVID-19

As the 2020/21 Flu Season approaches, COVID-19 is still circulating in most states throughout the U.S. with many states again on the rise.  Since the Southern Hemisphere had their Flu Season 2020, ahead and opposite that of the Northern Hemisphere, there may be some indication of what the upcoming Flu Season will be like, at least in some countries.  Read about the Flu Season that the Southern Hemisphere did not have and their mitigation techniques, and then read on to...

September 21, 2020Read more...

COVID – 19 Update – Airborne Transmission

Since the onset of the disease that would be named COVID-19, there have been questions about how it's transmitted & how to decrease person-to-person transmission. More and more evidence has accumulated that suggests that airborne transmission does occur and these airborne droplets are much smaller and may quickly dry in the air to be a virus particle(s). Why is it important? Read the full update about Airborne Transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. View/Download the...

September 21, 2020Read more...

COVID-19 Update – Fecal Transmission

Since the onset of the disease that would be named COVID-19, there have been questions about how it's transmitted & how to decrease direct and indirect transmission. Fecal transmission is another type  that is being considered, and is likely the mechanism of infection in some COVID cases.   Read the full update about Fecal Transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, complete with links to articles in the literature. View/Download Full Update More...

August 21, 2020Read more...

Latest Data on COVID-19 Mitigation On & Off Duty Resources & Links

There are a lot of recently published scientific & observational studies, editorials, viewpoints, and more about both medical and lay person PPE. This includes predominantly masks & respirators, but also other mitigation strategies that have been moved beyond ‘might this help?’ to ‘likely some benefit’. In some cases, recommendations from international and national organizations & agencies, as well as industry organizations, have been made. Below, are some links to some of those documents. All of them provide good information, but...

August 21, 2020Read more...

Paramedic Chiefs of Canada – 15th COVID-19 Webinar – EMS Performance in Times of COVID-19: Montreal’s Experience – August 20th | Recording and Handout

Montreal was one of the regions hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. As the situation progressed, Urgences-santé had to adapt and innovate in order to face this new reality. With the shut down of several links in the prehospital survival chain, the paramedics were left alone to face this invisible enemy.

August 6, 2020Read more...

Updated FDA Hand Sanitizer Warning 8-5-20

There is an ongoing and escalating issue with hand sanitizers manufactured in some factories in Mexico, and sold in stores throughout the U.S, that pose a danger to those who use them.  This is due to either methanol being added or substituted for ethyl or isopropyl alcohols, or subpotent percentages of appropriate alcohols in them. 

July 27, 2020Read more...

Finding & Reading the Literature on COVID-19

There are very few positives that have come from this COVID-19 Pandemic, but there is one that has made it easier for scientists, health care providers, and anyone who wants to know what is happening, from a scientific or medical perspective, to have access to the latest information on a wide range of topics related to SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. The downside is that those readers who are not used to reading scientific or medical literature, may not realize that the info...

June 12, 2020Read more...

COVID-19 First Responder Update 6/11/20

There is plenty of information about COVID-19 available for anyone who searches and clicks on a computer or turns on a TV or radio to catch up on the news. As more is learned about the disease, more info is written and released in an effort to help advance the ability to recognize, identify, track, treat and prevent COVID, so sometimes, as more insight is gained, the information changes.  In the beginning, a lot of it was because there just...

May 29, 2020Read more...

Acute Inflammatory Illness in Children Temporally Linked to COVID-19 aka Multi Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

GOAL:  Awareness of the Syndrome, early identification of its signs that can be recognized by parents/caregivers, EMS systems, and other first responders, with transport to an appropriate hospital for further evaluation & care.  Background:  Two labels for one scary syndrome.  The first one is from the WHO and the second one is from the CDC for the U.S.  The “temporally linked” to COVID is important since no one is sure yet that COVID-19 and this syndrome are cause and effect,...

May 29, 2020Read more...

Websites for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children

United States: CDC Health Advisory from the Health Alert Network: https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/2020/han00432.asp CDC MIS-C for Parents: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/children/mis-c.html CDC COVID and MIC-C Information for Healthcare Providers: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/pediatric-hcp.html#anchor_1589580133375 Medscape Video & Article on MIS-C in Kids:  What Do We Know? https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/930686 Canada:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                CPSP/PCSP Public Health Alert for Acute Inflammatory Illness in Children…. : https://www.cpsp.cps.ca/uploads/private/CPSP_Public_Health_Alert_Acute_inflammatory_illness_and_COVID-19.pdf CPSP Website for COVID-19 in hospitalized children and non-hospitalized children with chronic co-morbid conditions: https://www.cpsp.cps.ca/surveillance/study-etude/covid-19-in-hospitalized-children-and-non-hospitalized-children-with-chronic-co-morbid-conditions  The Provincial Council for Maternal & Child Health (PCMCH) & Kids...

May 29, 2020Read more...

Paramedic Chiefs of Canada – COVID-19 Webinar – A National Conversation: Part 8 – Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Associated with COVID-19 – May 28th | Recording and Handouts

A new syndrome, now named MIS-C, has been identified in multiple countries in the past few weeks which seems to be associated with COVID-19 infection, even if COVID was asymptomatic or unrecognized. It manifests itself as a Kawasaki-like illness and/or as Toxic Shock-Like Syndrome.

May 18, 2020Read more...

Paramedic Chiefs of Canada – COVID-19 Webinar – A National Conversation: Part 7 – COVID-19 Procedure Manual Review – May 14th | Recording and Handouts

In this installment, we had a follow-up discussion with Deputy Chief Shaughn Maxwell on the editable COVID-19 Procedure Manual used by South County Fire in Snohomish County, Washington. In our previous session on April 30th, Dr. Richard Campbell covered their approach to PPE Conservation, and gave a quick overview of their entire manual which received input from NASA and other experts on various subjects, including Human Factors, to enhance adoption and usability.

May 16, 2020Read more...

CDC Health Alert Network (HAN) Advisory on 5/14/20: Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Associated with COVID-19

A new syndrome, now named MIS-C, has been identified in multiple countries in the past few weeks which seems to be associated with COVID-19 infection, even if COVID was asymptomatic or unrecognized. It manifests itself as a Kawasaki-like illness and/or as Toxic Shock-Like Syndrome. It needs to be recognized as early as possible, so that monitoring, treatment, and testing can be started early in its course for the best outcomes. That makes it essential for Pre-hospital & Hospital Providers to...