Three Florida deputies have been placed on a 14-day quarantine after performing life-saving efforts on a man who later tested positive for the coronavirus, authorities said.
According to a news release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office,, deputies were called to a home in Thonotosassa, located east of Tampa, Sunday at 8:30 p.m. and found a man unconscious. The three deputies who arrived performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the man and used an automated external defibrillator, the Sheriff’s Office said.
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According to the release, doctors gave the man a dose of naloxone after a relative told them he had taken heroin that night. The man was taken to an area hospital and treated for an expected overdose.
Results from the hospital originally revealed the man had been suffering from pneumonia. Doctors also tested him for COVID-19, and the results came back positive, the Sheriff’s Office said. Because the deputies had been in contact with the man, they were placed on a two-week quarantine and will be monitored for symptoms.
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“We are dealing with an unprecedented and unpredictable threat, but as law enforcement officers, we will always run towards danger to save lives," Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "We don’t take our responsibilities lightly, and we are working to fulfill our duties amid the coronavirus in the safest way possible.
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“This is an instance where three brave deputies jumped into action, putting their own safety second to the life of another. However, all of our deputies have been equipped with the tools they need for protection, including masks and gloves.”
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No deputies have tested positive for the virus, the Sheriff’s Office said.
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