Thread by @yamphoto

Thread⬇️: I spent some time documenting the brave men and women of Cruz Roja, the Mexican Red Cross, in Tijuana, Mexico, who are risking their lives to help the sick during this pandemic. #coronavirus #COVIDー19

latimes.com/california/sto…

The coronavirus is killing so many people in Tijuana that the morgue has run out of refrigerator space for bodies. On the front lines of the pandemic in Tijuana is the Mexican Red Cross. Its 13 ambulances handle the majority of emergency calls for the city of 1.8 million people.

Even before the #pandemic arrived, this sprawling town was dealing with a high murder rate. The pandemic has effectively increased the case loads and risk for Red Cross paramedics, on top of the response to violent crimes and other emergencies.

latimes.com/california/sto…

Now with #COVID19, paramedics must undergo an extraordinary and precautionary process of decontamination: Safely removing their PPE and sanitizing their equipment & vehicle. The process can take an ambulance out of the rotation for at least 20 minutes.

Sometimes they arrive to a pretty grim scene, where the person is announced dead on arrival. It's not easy dealing with mortality day-in and day-out, on top of working long hours... (24 hr shifts).

latimes.com/california/sto…

Some scenes are moving: Mary Londe Hernandez, kneels, tears up, and read aloud from a small Bible as Red Cross paramedics transport Eduardo Molina to the ambulance. “Don’t let me go alone, don’t let me go alone,” he said while taking short rapid breaths.

latimes.com/california/sto…

Even outside the Red Cross base, you'll find moments of compassion. With the pandemic, only patients are allowed inside the clinic and must undergo a check for symptoms. #Covid19 patients are transported to public hospitals in Tijuana set aside to respond to the pandemic.

When there is downtime, paramedics refuel on coffee, take a smoke break, rest, ponder the meaning of life through quips and jokes, or play with Kakas, the cat that lives on their central base.

#Redcross #Cruzroja #Paramedics #EMT

latimes.com/california/sto…

Paramedics have to assess each case diligently. They did not want to send every patient to a hospital, as to not overwhelm the healthcare system during this crisis, for the time being. Not life threatening? Mild symptoms? Most are advised to stay home. latimes.com/california/sto…

They sometimes get 'bogus calls.' Case in point, one night they were sent out to respond to a person who is allegedly dead, but after searching high and low, they could not find a body anywhere in the home nor nearby. I breathed a sigh of relief. latimes.com/california/sto…

Thanks for following. As things evolve in Mexico, please follow my colleagues @katelinthicum and @PmcdonnellLAT for the up-to-date coverage. Intrepid journalism requires a significant amount of resource. Please consider subscribing to the @latimes! 🙏🏼 latimes.com/subscriptions/…