Effective communication during transport of a patient with possible or known 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection between dispatchers, EMS personnel and receiving facilities is necessary to ensure appropriate protection of healthcare workers. When 2019-nCoV is suspected in a patient needing emergency transport, dispatchers, prehospital care providers and healthcare facilities should work closely together to provide as much advance notice as possible that they may be transporting or receiving a patient who may with suspected 2019-nCoV.

Symptoms exhibited by people infected with 2019-nCoV are very similar to those of influenza and include fever, cough and difficulty breathing. The incubation period is 2 to 14 days. If the caller reports these symptoms, PSAP and Dispatch Center personnel should ask:

• Do you have a history of travel to mainland China within 14 days before you developed symptoms?
• Did you have close contact with a person with novel coronavirus infection while that person was ill during the 14 days before you developed symptoms?

This information should be documented on the patient care report. If the caller answers “yes”, to either question above, PSAPs and Dispatch Center personnel should alert EMS providers and first responders of the potential for a patient with possible exposure/signs and symptoms of 2019-nCoV before the responders arrive on scene. This will enable EMS providers to select and correctly put on personal protective equipment (PPE) following the guidance in the Ohio Department of Health’s Interim Infection Control Guidance for Prehospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS): https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odh/know-our-programs/novel-coronavirus/resources-lhd/infection-control-ems-services. 

ODH 2019 NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (2019-nCov) – PSAP GUIDANCE 2/1/2020