‘Covid-19 Hovers Over Our Head Every Time We Go On A Call’
This story is part of a series called, Heart Beat, stories from workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis.
SAINT JOHN – These days, Jeremy Dunsmore and Laura Kaye’s work as primary care paramedics for Ambulance New Brunswick could take them inside the home of a Covid-19 positive patient.
In fact, Dunsmore, who works out of the Quispamsis station, did end up in one of those homes.
“Going to that call, I kind of got that fear and rush of adrenaline a little bit that I haven’t felt in many years because I was facing this thing that’s such a deadly virus around the globe,” said. “We took a lot of extra steps to be especially careful…it just heightened everything, so that was an experience I won’t forget very soon.”
Kaye, who works part-time out of the Saint John station, said in the first few weeks of the pandemic, worries were high for her and Dunsmore, a couple with a blended family. Their two children share time between them and their other parents.
“Jeremy sort of has this soldier-at-war mentality about it. He was just like, ‘we’re going to be safe every day and we’re going to beat this and we’re going to be fine.’ I’m with him. I’m there also to fight the fight,” she said.
But her maternal instincts kicked in.
“I was very worried for my kids, I was very worried for myself, I was very worried about my co-workers. You look around the room of people you’ve been working with for as long as we have and think about one of us could die from this, it’s very scary.”
Dunsmore has been a paramedic for almost 21 years, and Kaye for nearly 15 years. They were working when the world saw the SARS, MERS and Ebola outbreaks. Some of those diseases spread to Canada and changed the ways they worked slightly, but none ever got to New Brunswick.
Covid-19, on the other hand, is like nothing they’ve experienced before.
Dunsmore said the first weeks were nervewracking as information came at them quickly, yet so many things were unknown. Over time, they’ve become used to changes in the way they work, but “it just sort of hovers over our head…every time we go on a call.”
During a shift now, there’s more discussion about the kind of questions they’d ask a patient, and the time they need to put on their personal protective gear before entering a home, among other things. Gloves and surgical masks are the minimum they need to put on, but some calls require them to also don goggles and a protective suit.
“When approaching the patient – because this is really a people profession – to have that barrier of masks and gowns, things that we weren’t used to having, kind of changes the dynamic of the call,” Dunsmore said.
“We rely on quick smiles to diffuse situations. But when you have a mask on, it’s hard to get that across,” Kaye added.
She said they now operate with “a high degree of suspicion.”
“We assume that everyone has [the virus]. We’re at that much of an advantage of being safer with everybody instead of making assumptions and making mistakes,” she said.
Patients may be asked to wear a mask before the paramedics carry out their assessment. Anyone else in the house is asked to step into another room to maintain physical distancing.
So far, Kaye says most people are understanding of the extra barriers and requirements to keep both the paramedics and patients safe.
Call volumes have also fallen significantly as fewer people dial 911 for minor issues and more are taking advantage of the telehealth system, but the patients that they do see now are typically sicker.
“There are people that wait sometimes too long because they don’t want to get involved in the healthcare system right now, they either don’t want to be averted or they’re scared,” Kaye said.
“They feel like they’ll get sicker if they go to the healthcare system,” Dunsmore added.
Staying Safe At Home
One of the couple’s biggest worry was the possibility of bringing the virus home. Kaye said she’s stopped taking extra shifts when the kids are with her and Dunsmore.
“We work really hard to keep our home as safe and clean as possible…I just don’t want to have an extra parent exposed to anything unnecessarily when they’re with us,” she said.
When she and Dunsmore finish a shift, they change out of their uniform and put them into bio-bags at work. The uniforms then go directly into the washing machine when they get home.
“Everybody has a shower when they first come in the house either from work or from their other parents’ house,” Kaye said. “I disinfect doorknobs and light switches every other day…We try to limit our grocery and procurement of anything to the minimum, and [buy] huge loads every couple of weeks for 10 days instead of every day.”
Everything that comes into the house is disinfected and wiped. They don’t do any unessential travel or visits. The kids aren’t allowed to go into stores or gas stations to buy things. Kaye has also set up a few bleach solution stations at home.
So far, neither she or Dunsmore has had to be tested for Covid-19, but Kaye is always on high alert when it comes to cleanliness at home.
“I have become a neurotic germaphobe,” she laughed. “I have calmed down about it – not to say I’ve slackened my standards for how clean the house is to be, but I’ve just become more comfortable with the process.”
“I’m just trying to keep up with her level of cleaning around here,” he joked.
The pandemic has highlighted the risks faced by frontline workers, and have generated public support for them. Kaye and Dunsmore have had people clap for them, say thank you, and buy them coffee in drive-thrus.
“It’s nice to be appreciated and it’s nice to be recognized for what we’re doing because I’d give anything to be home and not have to leave,” Kaye said, adding that she’s “very proud” of New Brunswickers for listening to public health advice and keeping the number of cases low.
I’ve always felt like this job is quite a privilege to be able to go into people’s homes on their worst day…But seeing what people feel about us performing this job during this time is very humbling,” Dunsmore said.
But he’s more concerned for other frontline workers who don’t have the same level of information and protection as them.
“I, as a paramedic, really feel for people who are working at grocery stores, liquor stores, gas stations and fast-food restaurants, and anybody that’s still working through this that maybe doesn’t have a high level of information and equipment to keep them safer,” he said. “I really hold all those folks in high esteem as well because they’re really doing their best through all of this.”
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