As Alaskans adapt to the changes mandated to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, state emergency leaders are implementing a plan to ensure health care services in rural Alaska are able to respond to the pandemic. A Unified Command has been established and is staffed by workers from the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Public Safety. A spokesperson for the group said that the mandates issued by the governor to maintain social distancing, not travel to other communities, and quarantine after arriving from out of state can benefit both rural and urban areas. "One benefit that we have here in Alaska is because the geographic distance between our communities is so great, that if take these additional social distancing steps and abide by the mandates that have been put in place," said Jeremy Zidek, public information officer for the Joint Command, "then we're really going to see some good impacts down the road and that's going to be the transmission between communities isn't going to be as great as it could if we didn't abide by the mandates."  

Firefighters trained as paramedics and EMTs will assist the FDNY's overloaded medical services bureau as part of a "doomsday scenario" to deal with the surging coronavirus pandemic, the Daily News has learned. Roughly 209 FDNY firefighters with emergency medical technician licenses have been ordered to man rapid response vehicles, according to a six-minute video released Tuesday night by United Firefighters' Association head Gerard Fitzgerald. They're being asked to respond to some of the estimated 6,000 calls flooding the department's Emergency Medical Service crews each day and evaluate patients for possible coronavirus infection or other medical problems, Fitzgerald said. An additional 63 firefighters with paramedic certifications are also on tap to assist EMS on medical calls, the union leader said.  

The city of Detroit will be the first to have specific test kits that could have results in minutes. Normally, the swab tests take days to yield results. Testing with these kits begin today but only for Detroit police, first responders and bus drivers. Instead of waiting days to get results to find out if you have the coronavirus — you get results in 15 minutes. And the interesting thing about these test kits is that they can show positive results even before someone shows symptoms. "Detroit will be the first city in the country to use the 15 minute testing," said Mayor Mike Duggan. Waiting for any health test result can be nerve-wrecking, but when it comes to coronavirus — knowing if you're infected can help save lives while protecting others.  

Sacramento-area fire crews and public health officials are launching a new initiative to provide mobile health support to the community. "We're essentially bridging the gap between emergency services and the hospital," Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District Capt. Scott Perryman told FOX40. Think of it as an urgent care center on wheels. "They'll let us know is it something simple like a strep throat or is it seasonal allergies or is it something more significant," said Perryman. The initiative is driven by an effort to screen possible COVID-19 cases among people who may not be able to travel to be tested. "We have the ability swab and test and get it to the laboratory right then and there," explained Perryman. Typical ambulances provide immediate lifesaving care and take people to the hospital, but the teams in these trucks are different.  

The South Carolina Department of Health is creating a database that will give first responders more information about the places and people they're responding to during the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement came on Tuesday during a news conference with Dr. Linda Bell, DHEC's Director of the Bureau of Communicable Disease Prevention and Control. "We are setting up a system through a secure database to provide to EMS dispatchers information that they need to make decisions about response," Bell said. Department of health officials said they're hoping to have the system up and running early next week. The details of this system are limited, but it did come after the South Carolina Association of Counties wrote a letter last week to Governor Henry McMaster.  

First responders and emergency workers are urging Minnesota lawmakers to ease their ability to obtain workers' compensation should they contract COVID-19. A bill before lawmakers would encompass firefighters, paramedics, police, nurses, doctors and people providing child care to emergency responders, among several others whose jobs put them at particular risk of contracting the disease that had infected 689 and killed 17 Minnesotans as of Wednesday. "It's very important, because first responders, nurses, other folks that we have included in this bill, we are going to be working directly with populations that are susceptible to COVID-19, or, already have COVID-19," said St. Paul fire Capt. Chris Parsons, who spearheaded the effort. "We are going to be put at a greater risk than the general public [for] contracting this illness."