"We need the proper protection... if we aren't safe, our patients and our community aren't safe," warned Marcia Santini, an emergency room nurse at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) medical center. "Each time we are faced with a new infectious disease, our union is forced to address staffing, protection equipment and training." Mary Beth Soscia told AFP that her ambulance in Los Angeles does not have any specific protective equipment against coronavirus. Northern California's Placer, Yolo and Sacramento are among those which no longer advise people exposed to the virus -- including health care workers and first responders -- to quarantine themselves for two weeks. For Andrea Peregrin, an emergency nurse based in southern California's Santa Monica, that guidance is at odds with her own training.

Source: Bangkok Post March 12, 2020 02:15 UTC