Over 100 NYC EMTs have tested positive for COVID-19 in past two weeks, union says
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A new class of emergency medical technicians graduated from the FDNY EMS Academy at Fort Totten Thursday. Photo via FDNY/Flickr
By David Brand
More than 100 FDNY emergency medical service workers have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past two weeks, more than at any point since the pandemic peaked in March and April, according to the union that represents the first responders.
That troubling spike in new COVID cases among EMS workers mirrors an illness uptick in parts of Queens and Brooklyn, said FDNY EMS Local 2507 President Oren Barzilay.
“It is not a surprise, given the level of disease and illnesses our members are exposed to on a daily basis,” Barzilay said.
EMS workers who test positive for COVID and the colleagues who have come in contact with them must enter a mandatory quarantine. Five EMS workers tested positive for COVID-19 at an Elmhurst station, PIX 11 reported Oct. 13.
Despite the recent rise in cases, the test positivity rate among FDNY EMS workers remains around 3 percent, according to the FDNY. That’s higher than a citywide average, but far lower than the rate of infection among the vital first responders in March and April.
During the peak of the pandemic, roughly a quarter of the city’s 4,400 emergency medical technicians were forced to call out sick after testing positive for COVID-19 or experiencing symptoms. The sick calls meant the agency was short-staffed during an historic emergency call volume, further challenging the frontline workers.
Emergency medical technicians and paramedics responded to about 6,000 emergency calls per day in March and April — double the number of calls they have received on an average day since then, according to the FDNY.
They got a boost Thursday when 153 new probationary emergency medical technicians graduated from the training academy in Fort Totten.
As positive test rates have risen in parts of the city, Barzilay and other union officials have warned of the toll a second wave of the coronavirus could take on emergency responders.
Nevetheless, Barzilay said, the risk of COVID-19 did not prevent the workers from performing their crucial job in March, and it won’t stop them again either.
“Despite the ongoing risks associated with this virus to our members and their families and friends, we remain steadfast and dedicated to protecting New Yorkers with the same high level of emergency medical services that we have always shown,” he said.
An FDNY spokesperson said the city has provided personal protective equipment and sanitizer to EMS workers while following other COVID regulations, such as social distancing when possible and mask wearing.
“These are members of EMS who are responding 24/7 to thousands of calls a day in a pandemic and who responded during the busiest period NYC EMS has ever experienced,” the spokesperson said. “They are bravely answering every call — every day — despite the fact COVID-19 is still present in our city.”
“Our EMTs and Paramedics are doing extraordinary work to protect and care for New Yorkers.”
