ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - COVID-19 cases in the city of St. Louis are still keeping the fire department busy. They say crews are responding to about 15-20 ambulance calls a day for people reporting serious "COVID symptoms."
Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson says the pandemic is not as bad as it once was, but people are still calling 911 when they're too sick to take it any longer.
"Sore throat, fevers, difficulty breathing, severe difficulty breathing," Jenkerson says. "And a lot of times they've actually waited a little bit to call us, so their symptoms have increased. People are trying to push this off and I guess trying to make themselves believe they don't have it. It's still an issue."
He says every call from someone with COVID symptoms is a "dire case" from someone who is "scared and worried."
Jenkerson says most of the COVID calls are from adults age 35 to 65, and most are not vaccinated. The patients are being taken to Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Saint Louis University Hospital – depending on where ever they can take them in.
Related
The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force said Tuesday that case rates are about 40% lower than the most recent peak in August. It's still five times higher than the rate in June.
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