Paramedics covering the outskirts of Edinburgh rushed to a woman having a severe reaction from Covid-19.
The drama unfolded in the latest episode of BBC Scotland's Paramedics on Scene, where a crew that covers areas in the Borders and near Edinburgh, attended the call in Melrose.
The show, since it began last month, shines a light on the difficulty of everyday life within the Scottish Ambulance Service, from paramedics, to call handlers.
READ MORE: M8 traffic congestion after police race to death of 56-year-old man
Throughout the pandemic, the service was squeezed with the sheer volume of calls regarding Covid, with the show illustrating just how fortunate we are to have such a great response team on hand if ever there was a problem.
In the latest episode, Paramedic Lee, and technician Nadine, are sent to the rural town of Melrose, in the Borders, where a woman is showing worrying effects from Covid, as well as having a past with medical issues, as the crew are faced with some difficult decisions to make.
The pair race to Lisa, a 40-year-old female with difficulty breathing due to testing positive for the virus. With most cases, the ambulance crew aren't always sure with what they will be faced with upon arrival. In this scenario, they know very little about the woman's health issues.
Paramedic Lee Myers explains: "When we're turned out to a Covid patient, the atmosphere slightly changes in the cab."
Technician Nadine Greenfield adds: "I'm not going to lie, it is very scary knowing that you are going to a Covid positive patient, there are all sorts of thing that run through your head.
Lee continues: "It's not that we're scared at what we're going into, it's the fear of taking something home to our families."
The crew arrive at the address and are already prepared with extra PPE, including masks, gloves and medical aprons.
The patient, Lisa, is already on her ninth day with the virus and that day, she had taken a turn for the worst. She was struggling to move, open her eyes and had very cold hands and feet.
The crew were worried about the possibility of Lisa developing Sepsis, which she informed them that she had a history of. As blood was not moving around the body as it should, Sepsis is always one of the paramedics' worst fears.
Lee and Nadine begin multiple tests to track where Lisa's problems are stemming from. One of the tests reveal Lisa's blood pressure is incredibly low, so they issued Oxygen , although Lisa feared she was going to pass out.
While a trip to hospital is inevitable, Lee and Nadine face a different battle to get Lisa from her bed, into the ambulance, due to her severe weakness. The fact that Lisa had both vaccines at the time of contracting Covid, just reemphasises how much of an effect the virus could have on people.
The crew very carefully and slowly help Lisa into a wheelchair and then down the stairs out of her home, into the ambulance.
On the way to hospital, Lisa's blood pressure drops even further, as Lee continues to ask her to keep her eyes open. They eventually drive and Lisa is left in safe hands at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh.
At the end of the show, an update is issued on all patients featured within the episode, with Lisa eventually returning home after making a full recovery.
