Previously, the only use that was being seen for medical flight services amidst the COVID-19 pandemic was the transportation of infected patients from rural America. The reasoning behind this was that the urban part of the nation is better equipped to provide healthcare. However, it was later seen that the rural spread was quite limited. Unfortunately, recent trends have been quite different. While global cities such as New York continue to grapple with the disease, the infection is now seen making way towards inner parts of the nation, especially the rural regions. The reason for this could be several, including people from cities finding save havens in isolated rural regions.
Chronically Ill will Need Medical Flight Services
The Novel Coronavirus is known to increase the risk of people with co-morbidities, especially if they are over 60 years of age. It must be noted in this context that most of the rural population in the United States is old and is at high risk of losing lives if faced by a COVID-19 attack. Imagine someone suffering from cancer and also contracting the disease. The only recourse would be to take the patient to the nearest appropriate treating facility in the shortest possible time. That would, undoubtedly, necessitate medical flight services.
An Industry Struggling to Stay Afloat
The medical flight industry has been at the forefront of evacuating American citizens who are stuck in countries hit by COVID-19. However, it is worth noting here that the industry, which was already struggling to survive due to high costs, has had it even worse amid the pandemic. The demand for services has fallen drastically. Moreover, personal protective equipment has been hard to procure. The biggest hurdle has been the lack of frontline workers as most of them are now fighting the virus on the ground.
