Use of PPE and occupational exposures among EMS provider encounters with patients with confirmed COVID-19 from 14 February to 26 March 2020
| Total | *Initial 137 EMS encounters with COVID-19 patients | *Subsequent 137 EMS encounters with COVID-19 patients | |
| Number of EMS provider encounters, n | 988 | 488 | 500 |
| Any mention of COVID-19 in EMS record, n (%) | 133 (49) | 49 (36) | 84 (61) |
| PPE, n (% of column total) | |||
| Full MEGG | 661 (67) | 265 (54) | 396 (79) |
| Partial or delayed MEGG† | 31 (3) | 17 (3) | 14 (3) |
| Basic (gloves/eyes) | 289 (29) | 202 (41) | 87 (17) |
| Missing/unknown* | 7 (1) | 4 (1) | 3 (1) |
| EMS provider encounters with an exposure, n (% of column total) | 151 (15) | 142 (29) | 9 (2) |
| EMS provider exposures per 9-1-1 encounter with an exposure, median (IQR) | 3 (2–3) | 3 (2–3) | 2 (2–3) |
| Interval from EMS provider exposure to patient COVID-19 test result, days, median (IQR) | 4 (2–6) | 5 (2–8) | 3 (1–4) |
*Initial encounters occurred between 19 February and 15 March 2020 while subsequent encounters occurred between 16 March and 26 March 2020.
†Partial MEGG is defined as basic PPE (eye protection and gloves) plus either a mask or a gown but not both.
EMS, emergency medical services; MEGG, mask, eye protection, gown and gloves; PPE, personal protective equipment.