Dan Volcko of the Phoenix Fire Department has responded to countless COVID-19-related 911 calls since the pandemic began. But he never thought he would be the one to end up in the hospital.
“It is a real disease and I saw that as a first responder that’s running on COVID patients daily – that people are suffering, I just had no idea of the extent that’s possible of it,” Volcko, 48, told KTAR News 92.3 FM. Volcko tested positive at the beginning of December after he was exposed to the virus on the job. He quarantined himself at home and took the necessary precautions to treat his fever and body aches.
As a paramedic, he knew what to look out for. As his symptoms worsened, he began monitoring his oxygen levels. “On day 10, I woke up and they were at an arguably dangerous level,” Volcko added. “It was at that point that I thought, you know what I should probably get ahead of this.”