Health & Fitness
5 Astoria FDNY EMS Workers Test Positive For Coronavirus
The FDNY is monitoring a cluster of COVID-19 cases among its Astoria EMS squad, a spokesperson said.
ASTORIA, QUEENS — Five members of the FDNY's EMS squad in Astoria are on medical leave after testing positive for the coronavirus, according to an agency spokesperson and a news report.
The Fire Department is now closely monitoring the outbreak at the Astoria station, which was first reported Tuesday by PIX11 News, and contact tracing is underway.
Less than 3 percent of FDNY firefighters and emergency medical professionals are out on medical leave due to COVID-19, a rate that has held steady for months, according to a spokesperson.
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In comparison, at the height of the pandemic in New York City, nearly 25 percent of the department's 4,400 EMS workers were out on medical leave.
The spokesperson said all FDNY locations and apparatus are cleaned regularly and that, since the start of the pandemic, the department has produced "extensive training and messaging" on curbing the spread of the virus and the importance of face coverings.
Find out what's happening in Astoria-Long Island Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
FDNY members are also provided with personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer.
Since March, more than 5,000 members of the FDNY have tested positive for the virus or were presumed to have had it, according to a spokesperson.
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