DOUGHERTY COUNTY, Ga. - First responders are slammed across the country, as the coronavirus pandemic sickens hundreds of thousands of people, many requiring transports to the hospital.
But few departments are feeling that pressure more than the 70 EMS personnel in typically quiet, Dougherty County in southwest Georgia.
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First responders in Doughtery County
Doughtery County first responders are feeling the pinch as the peak nears of the coronavirus pandemic
The analysis shows Albany, which falls in Dougherty County, ranks in the top five hotspots in the world when you're considering COVID-19 cases per 1,000 people.
EMS director, Sam Allen, said more than a third of the county's 911 calls are related to COVID-19, which means crews must respond to back-to-back coronavirus emergencies.
"It puts severe strain [on them], it pushes them to the limit," Allen said, who now suits up himself too because of the increase in calls.
The physical toll only scratches the surface.
"I have a wife and kids at home, that's the most scary part to me, is me actually catching it and taking it home to my family," said Cedric Powell.
Powell and co-worker Kaleb Cain talked to FOX 5's Emilie Ikeda after just returning from their second COVID-19 call of the day.
"These are the people in the trenches, everyday, every call, doing it," Allen said.
And there's no relief in sight.
We're several weeks out from the area's intial outbreak, and Allen said they're finding many patients, who have been recovering at home, now taking a turn for the worst.
"A lot of them don't realize they're getting into the extreme danger level that they're going into," Allen described. "We're seeing patients with oxygen saturation down into the low 50 and high 40 percent. On average, a person shouldn't be below 95, 96 percent."
Remarkably, only two of Dougherty County's paramedics have tested positive for COVID-19, and one of those individuals contracted the virus outside of the job.
Donned in tyvek suits, gloves and multiple masks, the crews embrace their new uniform...their new reality.
"They don't complain when the alarm horn goes off for another call, they don't fuss, they quietly walk out to the truck, they get in the truck, and they provide the best medical care they can," Allen said.