A rescue worker receives a COVID-19 vaccination in Tokyo on May 2. (Yuki Edamatsu)
Ambulance crews are among the unsung heroes of the pandemic, performing their essential task of rushing patients with fevers to hospitals even though many of them have yet to receive inoculations against the novel coronavirus.
In short, they are putting their lives on the line in carrying out their public duties, a situation that one health expert warned could prove catastrophic if the vaccination program does not pick up speed.
“If rescue workers become infected, who is going to transport patients with fevers,” said Koji Wada, a professor of public health at the International University of Health and Welfare. “The effects would be unfathomable.”