Rega has transported 74 Covid-19 patients since March
Swiss air rescue service Rega has transported 74 Covid-19 patients since the start of the pandemic, most of those flights were to transport patients between different hospitals
The first transport of a Covid-19 patient was on 11 March in Ticino, Switzerland. Since then, Rega’s helicopter crews flew 74 Covid-19 patients.
About two-thirds of these flights were intensive care transports of artificially ventilated patients. In these cases, Rega used portable ventilators specially made for rescue helicopters.
The Rega crews also helped in neighboring countries; they flew French Covid-19 patients from Alsace to German hospitals and transported patients within Germany. The crew had been trained for these missions in February.
Due to people staying home and following social distancing measures, Rega saw a drop in emergency flights for accidents. Between March and April 2019, Rega flew 250 missions for accidents involving skiers, this year they were only deployed 10 times. However, Rega is still needed and the crews are flying around 20 missions per day.
Clara Bullock
Clara Bullock is a writer for ITIJ and AirMed&Rescue. Initially a freelance writer for publications ranging from gardening news to music magazines, she has made the transition to writing about the ins and outs of travel insurance and aeromedicine. In her spare time she reviews books on Instagram and eats pasta.