COLUMBUS, Ohio — Limiting exposure to COVID-19 is a strategy shared by all first responders.
While they’ve learned a lot during the pandemic on how to do that, they still don’t know what their exposure or infection will be for their health years from now.
“My son tested positive and we were in quarantine,” said Lt. Thad Turano from the Columbus Fire Department. “We never got tested because when we had symptoms we were already quarantined for a period of time.”
Lt. Turano is sharing his health story as part of a multi-million dollar study underway.
“When you think about first responders they are affected in a completely different way from a lot of us who already know a patient is coming in and we're prepared with our PPE,” said Dr. Ashish Panchal, professor of emergency medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Our first responders, they have no idea they knock on a door they walk in and they take all the risk for you and I."
Dr. Panchal is part of the team of researchers. He said the findings will not only help manage COVID-19 but will also help prepare us for future pandemics.
“We know they're going to happen, we just need to be prepared,” he said.
Every week for 5 years, Lt. Turano is one of many first responders who will answer a survey about their health.
He hopes finding out more about this new virus will help us all learn how to live with it.
"I have four children and I want them all to go to school,” he said. “So anything I can do to get them back in school and full time would be a big success for me.”
The study is supported by a $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.