Take precautions when providing First Aid care to people with suspected COVID-19
As a Good Samaritan, you may have already completed a basic first aid training course. In the panic of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s important to keep in touch with news about the disease and any CDC updates. Most importantly, healthcare providers, medical personnel, clinics, and hospitals need to stay on top of pandemic preparedness and infection prevention protocols.
Here are some resources for healthcare / medical personnel in regards to COVID-19:
- Healthcare Professional Preparedness Checklist For Transport and Arrival of Patients With Confirmed or Possible COVID-19
When providing First Aid:
- Those who provide direct care for someone who may have COVID-19 should wear respiratory protection/masks (i.e., N-95 mask), disposable gloves, and eye masks. CDC guidance allows provides info on alternatives to respirators where there is a shortage of respirators.
- Post care, providers of first aid should perform hand hygiene as they would normally do, discard personal protective equipment (PPE), and disinfect items that the patient may have touched.
For Medical Personnel:
Providers with contact with persons known or suspected to have COVID-19 should monitor themselves for symptoms. These may include fever, runny nose, cough, and/or shortness of breath. If these symptoms occur, they should self-isolate for 14 days and contact their healthcare provider or healthcare facility.
Additional information about the coronavirus can be found on the CDC website on.
