Sudbury's paramedic services are prepared for coronavirus

Paramedics in Sudbury say they're ready for the coronavirus.

Melissa Roney is deputy chief of paramedic services for the city.

She says they're reviewing their health and safety policies, doing preparedness planning with Health Sciences North, and have consulted with Public Health Sudbury & Districts to make sure they're following the best practices in disease control and prevention.

"Public Health Sudbury & Districts has been a key partner in ensuring that we get credible information," she added.

Roney says the top priority for paramedic services is to make sure that the frontline staff is safe, and that they have the tools and training to do their jobs safely.

Paramedics have a screening tool provided by the Ministry of Health to check patients for the risk factors of coronavirus. Roney adds that they're taking many of the same precautions as they would for influenza.

"We remind them that the risk of airborne droplet and contact is there and they need to exercise those cautions when performing their duties and patient care," she explained.

She says a lot of work has been done to make sure they have enough personal protective equipment on hand and that it's the right equipment.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, as of February 14, 2020, seven cases of 2019 novel coronavirus have been confirmed in Canada.