This is the first in a multipart series sharing the stories of those of the front line in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic in Perry County.
Jennifer France didn’t mince words when it comes to her feelings about the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s played with everyone’s emotions, especially mine,” said France, director of Perry County Memorial Hospital Ambulance Service. “It makes me nervous sending my people out there not knowing really what they will come into contact with. It’s that fear of the unknown.” The ambulance service has taken a variety of precautions to protect its crews and to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Dispatchers have begun asking more questions so ambulance crews know more about what thy are getting into when they answer a call. “They are asking more questions related to the virus itself and then we are using extra precautions and doing a major clean after every patient,” France said. “The questions that the dispatchers are doing now help us rule out COVID-19 patients.” The paramedics are also taking precautions to wash hands and practice social distancing as much as possible and wear personal protective equipment. As of Wednesday, Missouri had more than 1,300 positive cases of COVID-19, and 14 deaths. For France is it unlike anything she has ever seen. “This is new territory,” she said. The ambulance service has had nine calls per day, or 63 calls per week, which is more than normal since the pandemic began. The paramedics are checked for symptoms regularly, which includes their temperature at least three times per shift: when they arrive, midway through a shift and again before they go home. If they are found to have a fever, they are sent home. Common symptoms for COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Most people, about 80 percent recover from the disease without needing special treatment. France said she has encountered no problems from staff with the constant testing. “Everyone is pretty cooperative because they realize we are doing this to keep everyone safe,” France said. Some of them even do it at home when they are off duty just to make sure.” France like almost everybody is ready to see the end of the pandemic “We are just trying to gt through this as best we can, making sure our paramedics are as safe as possible.
