Self-Quarantined Firefighters Get Good News In Orange County

IRVINE, CA —Four Orange County Fire Authority medics who self-quarantined while waiting to learn if a patient they transported was positive for coronavirus were allowed to go home late Monday, officials say.

The test results for the patient came back negative around 6:30 p.m., Colleen Wilson, spokesperson for the Orange County Fire Authority reported. It took approximately 48 hours for the coronavirus test results to be released.

The four Orange County firefighters originally responded to a medical call on Saturday evening. They found a patient suffering symptoms of COVID-19,Windsor told Patch, adding that the patient had recently traveled internationally.

Dispatchers answering the 911 call asked additional questions of the patient before the arrival of the firefighters, as is the new strategy for suspected cases of coronavirus.

Symptoms of that virus include mild to severe respiratory illness with fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, according to the Center for Disease Control.

The Station 20 firefighters "self-isolated out of an abundance of caution for their coworkers and families," according to Wilson.

One crew and a battalion chief who relocated to a different station during the self-quarantine returned to the Great Park area station as of Tuesday, Wilson said.

Orange County Fire Authority, along with the Orange County Healthcare Agency, is continuing to develop a strategy for handling COVID-19 patients and care. Meanwhile, the Orange County Board of Supervisors is asking for coronavirus frontline training and resources for all first responders, clinical workers and hospital staff.

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