Nearly a quarter of New York City’s paramedics are out because of illness or injury — as the number of 911 calls for medical service surge during the coronavirus outbreak.
About 23 percent of all EMS members — or around 950 — were out on medical leave as of Sunday, the most recent data available, according to an FDNY spokesman.
“We have people injured on the job from normal operations,” the spokesman said, explaining that not all of the employees out on leave were connected to the pandemic COVID-19.
At the same time, the FDNY has seen an increase of about 2,500 calls per day, spiking at 6,527 calls on Sunday. City dispatch centers haven’t seen such levels since the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Around 17 percent of the FDNY’s roughly 11,500 total firefighters were also out on medical leave.
Department officials have adjusted to make it easier for members to call out by allowing them to video conference with their medical division as a way to allow for social distance and isolation, according to the spokesman.
Despite the strain on the city with a record number of medical calls while being short-staffed, the department got some good news Tuesday.
Commissioner Daniel Nigro welcomed some back-up Tuesday afternoon with the first batch of 500 paramedics from around the country arriving in the Big Apple.
As part of the partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 250 ambulances were also sent to the city to help.
Overall, 282 members of the FDNY — which includes firefighters, EMTs and around 1,400 civilians — have tested positive for coronavirus.
The department had its first death over the weekend with auto mechanic James Villecco dying from the virus.