What are the first aid rules during the coronavirus pandemic?

Providing first aid during a pandemic carries the risk of contracting the coronavirus.

Each of us has a legal obligation to provide first aid to a person who is in a position that poses an immediate risk of loss of life or serious damage to his health. Failure to provide assistance is punishable by imprisonment of up to 3 years.

When it comes to workplaces, each employer should appoint employees to provide first aid. These people should undergo a first aid course. It is their responsibility to organize first aid, check the equipment of the first aid kit, and find out where the nearest defibrillator (AED) is located.

Let us remember that our safety is the most important. If providing first aid to the injured person may cause damage to our health, it is enough if we call the appropriate services. The very call of an ambulance or fire brigade is already a form of assistance. An example would be when the victim of an accident is in a burning car. No matter how difficult the situation is, you should always call the emergency number.

First of all, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it should be assumed that each victim is a person infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The victim may not have symptoms of infection and still be a carrier of the virus. First of all, find out about the situation. If the victim’s relatives are nearby, it is better for them to help him directly. If a call for help is necessary, you can call the emergency number and instruct the victim from a safe 2-meter distance. If the victim is wearing a face mask, encourage him to put it on.

If you are alone with the contact victim, give him the necessary help – e.g. assess his consciousness by shaking, stop heavy bleeding, but before approaching the victim, put on a protective mask and gloves!

The European Resuscitation Council gives guidelines every few years on how to properly perform CPR. Last year, it updated its recommendations due to the pandemic.

If, despite trying to make contact, the victim does not respond, check his breathing. Wear a protective mask and disposable gloves tightly and then approach the injured person. Grab his shoulders and gently shake them to see if he responds. If there is no response, evaluate your breathing based on your chest observation – see if it rises (it should go up 2 times in 10 seconds). Remember the principle „I can see, hear, feel”. You can check your breath by feeling it against your cheek, hearing a whistling sound, or watching your chest rise. In a pandemic, look for signs of breathing without bringing the ear and cheek close to the victim’s mouth. Focus on „see and hear”. Remember that the coronavirus is spread by airborne droplets. If you miss two breaths in 10 seconds, call 112 or 999 for help and begin CPR.

As recommended by the European Resuscitation Council, first place a rag, tissue or towel over the victim’s mouth and nose, and begin chest compressions only. If in doubt whether the victim is breathing and therefore in cardiac arrest, initiate chest compressions by default until help is provided. If possible, try not to touch the victim’s mouth and nose.

Place your hands in the centre of the injured person’s chest and compress hard to a depth of about 4-5 cm in a rhythm of 100-120 compressions per minute. If you have access to an AED (automatic defibrillator) – use it. Follow the information provided by the device until the emergency medical team arrives.

Cardiac arrest is very rare in children. Acute respiratory failure is the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest in children, so ventilation is a key component of CPR to increase the chances of survival.

If the baby is unresponsive, examine his breathing with his eyesight, or place your hand on his stomach and see if he is rising. If the child is not breathing, call the emergency number. Then at least start CPR by compressing the chest. It is advisable to open the airway and provide rescue breaths for a child, but these activities are more risky during a pandemic. If you choose to do so, you should first provide the first 5 puffs, using a mask for rescue breaths that make the chest rise. Then, start compressing the chest – you should compress the lower half of the sternum to a depth of approx. 4 cm in infants and approx. 5 cm in children (1/3 of the anteroposterior dimension of the chest) with a frequency of 100 compressions per minute. After 15 chest compressions, we perform 2 rescue breaths using a rescue breathing mask. We continue such procedures until the signs of life return to the child.

Important! If the child’s parents are present, it is best for them to be mouth-to-mouth. If they don’t know how to do this, instruct them.

After providing first aid during a pandemic, you should:

  • disinfect gloves
  • take off the gloves according to the glove removal instructions
  • wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water (if necessary, disinfect your hands with an alcohol-based gel)
  • contact the hotline of the sanitary and epidemiological station.

In conclusion, when providing first aid during a pandemic, the risk of contracting the coronavirus should be minimized. Therefore, in the case of strangers, we perform CPR only with chest compressions, without rescue breaths. Remember that the most important rule of first aid is „your health and life are the most important”!

Source: https://www.bhp-center.com.pl/pierwsza-pomoc-w-czasie-pandemii-koronawirusa/

Region Gdański NSZZ „Solidarność”

Projekt otrzymał dofinansowanie z Norwegii poprzez Fundusze Norweskie 2014-2021, w ramach programu „Dialog społeczny – godna praca”.

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