Hatzolah Coordinates Community Wide Search for Missing 6 Year Old.

Hatzolah received a call at approx. 7PM regarding a missing child. Units were immediately dispatched to the home to gather information and put together a timeline. After identifying the dire situation of a missing child, a citywide member search was initiated and within minutes, there were dozens of Hatzolah EMT's radioing in to show them en route to search the streets. Unfortunately, the child was not located within the hour and Hatzolah Incident Command coordinated to request community members assist the search. At the push of a button (or a few, actually), hundreds of community members were lining up ready to be assigned their grid. Responders & Community Members were covering the entire Hancock Park zone.

After several hours of searching, alongside LAPD units, k-9's, and air support, the child was located safely without incident. We appreciate all who dedicated their time to search for the child, almost all of whom had no prior association with the family!

#HatzolahLA #MissingChild #EMS #LosAngeles #Community #Volunteering

#18006131911

A Cold, The Flu or COVID-19? (11/30/2020)

November 30,2020

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Dear Community, California has reported more COVID-19 patients in state hospitals now than at any other point during the pandemic. With this recent spike in COVID19 cases, along with the current influenza season, health officials are urging the public to adhere to all of the safety measures to help contain the spread of influenza and avoid another outbreak amid the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

These safety measures include: sanitizing hands, wearing masks, physical distancing, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home when sick.

Below are some FAQ's on the seasonal flu & COVID19.

How will I be able to tell if I have the flu or if I have COVID-19? Symptoms of COVID-19 and the flu can range from mild to severe. It's very hard to distinguish between the two illnesses, and there are a lot of overlapping symptoms:

• Fever or feeling feverish/chills

• Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Fatigue

• Sore throat

• Runny or stuffy nose

• Muscle pain or body aches

• Headache

What should I do if I develop symptoms that could be related to the flu or COVID-19? If you develop the overlapping symptoms, it's going to be important to recognize early that you could have either illness, to be aware of what symptoms you've been experiencing, and to determine when to seek testing or medical care. You should isolate yourself for at least 10 days or until your symptoms resolve or you see your doctor. It will be important not only to care for yourself but to protect those around you. Where can I safely get the flu shot during the pandemic? Vaccines should be available at your physician's office or pharmacies.

Will the flu shot offer any protection against COVID-19? Unfortunately, it will not because the flu and COVID-19 are caused by different viruses. Vaccines are designed to help you develop immunity to the components of a specific virus. Potential vaccines for COVID-19 are still in development.

Is it possible to have COVID-19 and the flu at the same time? If so, what do I do? Yes. It is possible to have both illnesses — and other respiratory infections — at the same time. Contact your doctor if you experience symptoms related to either illness. How long can someone spread the virus? For both COVID-19 and flu, it’s possible to spread the virus for at least 1 day before experiencing any symptoms. If a person has COVID-19, they may be contagious for a longer period of time than if they had flu.

Getting your annual flu shot is one of the most effective ways to help protect yourself, your family and your community. Flu vaccines can reduce the severity of the illness and reduce the need for hospitalization, which is critical while we continue to face the COVID-19 pandemic.

Symptoms currently found to be unique to COVID-19 are changes in—or loss of—taste or smell.

If you develop overlapping symptoms, it is important to:

• Recognize early that you could have either illness

• Be aware of your symptoms

• Determine when to seek testing or medical care

You should isolate yourself for at least 10 days or until your symptoms resolve. If your symptoms do not improve, or you are feeling worse, call your doctor. You can be tested for both COVID-19 and the flu. Every person has a role to play. So much of protecting yourself and your family comes down to common sense.

To read more about COVID19, visit the below links: https://www.cdc.go

v/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/nCOV2019.aspx https://covid19.ca.gov/

COVID-19 Updates from Hatzolah (3/15/2020)

Dear Community Member­­­­,

Concerning COVID -19 outbreak

1) Over the past few days, there have been multiple confirmed cases of COVID-19, all of these people have had extensive interaction at multiple places, with members of the community. Thus, a large segment of the community has already been exposed.

2) We have witnessed a sudden spike in young adults with flu-like illness over the past 48 hours. However, the Department of Health has advised us that ANYONE with a flulike illness should be presumed to have COVID-19, and further culturing is to stop at this time. Culture exposes all health care workers to unnecessary risk and threatens to disable the health care system in place, without adding any benefit.

3) Nobody has antibodies to this virus, and thus according to current modeling the vast majority of people who have been exposed will come down with the illness.

Facts about COVID-19

· It is a highly infectious illness, spread by droplets and personal contact. Coughing, sneezing, etc. put the virus into an aerosolized form and can infect another person within 6 ft of the cough. The virus also survives to spread on hands and other surfaces. At this time, we do not believe that the virus spreads in the general airspace within the room

· The incubation period of the virus is from 3-14 days, with an average of 5 days. This means that once exposed, an individual will more than likely become ill 5 days later.

· It is possible that a person may be infectious just prior to becoming ill, that is before the onset of symptoms.

· This illness is different from influenza in that most people begin with mild symptoms which slowly progress over a period of days.

· The symptoms of this illness, which don't have to all be present are. Fever, sore throat, cough, body aches, diarrhea. (flu-like symptoms).

· The vast majority of patients (almost all, and most particularly children) will recover over a period of 5-7 days. 24 hours after full recovery they are presumed to be no longer infectious.

· There is a segment of the population, particularly those with chronic underlying illness, are immunosuppressed, have pulmonary disease, and the elderly and infirm, who are at higher risk of developing severe illness, requiring hospitalization.

· If an infected individual does NOT start to recover around day 5-7, and specifically if they become more ill, or develop respiratory symptoms they are at increased risk of severe disease and need to be evaluated, preferably in an emergency room where an Xray can be performed, lung function assessed, and the patient admitted if necessary, for advanced care. Of course, any individual who is severely ill from the outset, with more than a flu-like illness, would require evaluation.

· There is no treatment widely available for COVID-19, certain antiviral drugs are being tested at this time and used in some experimental settings.

INSTRUCTIONS:

· Anyone who feels at all ill, should stay home, and not mingle at all.

· As there has been such a wide exposure at this time, everyone is possibly infectious, and social distancing should be practiced.

· If you or your children become ill, consider it as if you are infected, and stay home. The only reason to seek medical attention is if there is a strong reason to believe that what you are ill with is something else (i.e. you have severe abdominal pain etc.), or your mild flu-like illness gets worse and not better after a number of days.

· The elderly and infirm are at high risk, practice strict social distancing from this group.

DO NOT FORGET SIMPLE HYGIENE, WASH HANDS, DON'T TOUCH YOUR FACE, COUGH INTO YOUR ELBOW, OR TISSUE. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. SLEEP, EAT WELL, LIMIT ALCOHOL, GET SOME MILD EXERCISE TO KEEP YOURSELVES AS RESILIENT AS POSSIBLE

THERE IS NO NEED FOR PANIC!

THE VAST MAJORITY, AND WITH THE HELP OF HASHEM, EVERYONE WILL GET OVER THIS WITH NO PROBLEM.