- Updated: 24 April 2020
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2. Symptoms often include a fever, cough, or shortness of breath. The virus is thought to spread mainly from person to person between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet), through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. Some recent studies have suggested that COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms. It may be possible that people can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes. However, this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
This information is taken from the updated EMS COVID-19 Guidelines that were published on March 10, 2020.
Medical facilities around the country have been requiring EMS personnel who do not have proof of a positive titer to the hepatitis B vaccine series be tested prior to clinical rotations. If the titer is <10mlU/ml, those facilities administer an additional dose of vaccine. These costs, which can be significant, are passed on to the EMS providers or their departments.