Tommy Berges has seen firsthand how the coronavirus pandemic has caused delays in essential emergency services. The veteran paramedic and firefighter out of Washtenaw County, Michigan said the outbreak has extended emergency response times from the outset.
"COVID has really changed the entire fire and EMS services overall," Berges told Cheddar. "These time delays actually start when someone calls 9-1-1."
Emergency responders are screening callers to see if they have COVID-19, a necessary precaution that nonetheless adds crucial seconds to EMS response time.
"They're going to ask you questions. That takes additional time," Berges said. "If you do screen positive, it's very likely that information will get to us and that requires us to put on additional PPE, and that takes time. While it seems like seconds, in any emergency situation where time is of the essence, this all adds up."
Berges advises people to have a plan for emergency situations, given the delayed response time. For those who have dealt with opioid abuse in the past, in particular, he recommends keeping Naloxone, an anti-narcotic drug, on hand for emergencies.
He recounted one instance in which a man, who had been receiving medically-assisted doses of opioids, accidentally overdosed when he misunderstood the directions provided by his doctors. They had given him additional pills so that he could social distance.
"Have a plan. Stop and think about what you can do," he said.
A little girl in Ireland born with spina bifida got a surprise from her family.
Over 1,400 props from classic movies like Star Wars, Shawshank Redemption and Gladiator will be up for auction next month in what experts say will be one of the largest memorabilia auctions in the world.
From reality TV's newest pop star to Margot Robbie's very pink gifts, here are your top entertainment headlines.
Tina Turner, the unstoppable singer and stage performer who teamed with husband Ike Turner for a dynamic run of hit records and live shows in the 1960s and ‘70s and survived her horrifying marriage to triumph in middle age with the chart-topping "What's Love Got to Do With It," has died at 83.
Rapper Fetty Wap was sentenced to six years in federal prison on Wednesday for his role in a New York-based drug-trafficking scheme.
The daughters of Cheddar's own Shannon LaNier had a chance to interview Halle Bailey, who plays Ariel in Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
MTV has announced the Video Music Awards will be held this September in New Jersey.
A London judge rejected Prince Harry's bid to pay for his own police protection Tuesday, denying the royal's request to challenge the U.K. government in court.
In entertainment today, De Niro's getting tips and Netflix is going to make us all pay.
An Illinois attorney general's office investigation released Tuesday found that 451 Catholic clergy sexually abused nearly 2,000 children in the state over a nearly 70-year period, which was more than four times the 103 individuals the church named when the state began its review in 2018.
