Corona: Risk of infection with first aid low

Lisa Weidner studied German and sociology and completed several journalistic internships. She is a volunteer at Hubert Burda Media Verlag and writes for the "Meine Familie und Ich" magazine and on nutrition and health topics.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

First aiders do not have to fear deployments, even in times of Corona. In many cases there is no risk of infection, says the Red Cross. A duty to help still applies anyway.

Emergency services in Hesse have called for first aid to be provided during the corona pandemic. "In a very large number of cases, help is possible without the risk of infection," said Günter Ohlig from the Hessian DRK regional association. "With minor injuries, you don't necessarily need physical contact."

In general, it should be ensured that everyone involved wears a mask. Such protection is sufficient for relief measures such as the stable side position. If it comes to a respiratory donation, this can be done with a thin permeable cloth or a tissue handkerchief.

First aid primarily in the family environment

Otherwise, it is important to call for professional help quickly. "Legislators do not require anyone to put themselves in imminent danger in order to help others." In addition, the expert points out that the vast majority of cases do not concern the help of strangers anyway. "80 percent of all first aid services take place in the family environment, where the risk of infection can be assessed."

Has the willingness of lay people to help decreased for fear of a corona infection? That is conceivable, but the association is not aware of such cases, said Ohlig.Michael Rößler from the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB) did not observe anything like this either.

First aid courses discontinued anyway

However, the Hessian ASB regional association has suspended first aid courses, which mostly take place in groups. "Infection protection cannot be 100 percent guaranteed, even if we implement all of the guidelines." The failure is now making itself felt financially.

For the professional rescue services, there could be fewer deployments during the corona restrictions in the next few weeks. "Rescue missions declined between March and May because people were more at home," said Ohlig from the German Red Cross. Thus, it cannot be ruled out that it will also be quieter in November. In 2019, the rescue services of the DRK Hessen were deployed over 600,000 times. (lw / dpa)

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