Editor's note: Find Firehouse.com's complete coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic here.
Three North Carolina firefighters were hospitalized with COVID-19 among 17 first responders who tested positive for the virus Saturday.
A cluster of Clayton firefighters was found with COVID-19 after one firefighter was diagnosed with the virus, WTVD-TV reports. The firefighters who initially tested positive were all working on the same shift.
According to Fire Chief Lee Barbee, the firefighters who tested positive had responded to fire, medical and other calls. Shift changes now require full disinfection, and more of an emphasis is placed on social distancing, WRAL-TV reports.
"We aren't saying this to garner sympathy or to bring unwanted attention to our fire families, but simply for the public we serve to know—we're taking all the necessary precautions to prevent further spread, to stay healthy and to remain ready to respond when you need us most," Barbee said in a statement.
Firefighters are working extra shifts to fill in for those members infected with the virus. Several neighboring fire departments also are helping out
"The firefighters who remain working are hurting, too," Barbee said. "They’re covering for their fire brothers and sisters, gladly filling in shifts, and they haven’t missed a single beat in responding to calls."
