Riaz Hudda, who has been a paramedic with the British Columbia Ambulance Service since 2005, says all of his work has become slower and more cautious during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Our personal protection, the patients’ personal protection, everyone else’s protection is heightened,” Hudda says. “Our assessment is a little slower just so we don’t miss anything as far as a societal protection role.”

Born in Uganda, Hudda lived in Edmonton from 1972-1993 and then moved to Vancouver.

He says one interesting change during the pandemic has been the shift in the way people use hospitals. Before, he explains, people treated emergency wards as a “one-stop shop” for many issues. Now hospitals are being avoided. While the number of Covid-19 calls is high, the total number of calls has not increased substantially.

Speaking about the Ismaili community, Hudda says he is impressed with the way the Jamat is taking care of each other.

“Our Jamat, our Council, our medical team have provided incredible service,” he says. “The call centre for those in need is amazing.”

He adds one more message to everyone reading: “Let’s continue what we’ve been doing: staying isolated and doing what’s been asked of us.”