COVID 19, Coronavirus Update

Due to the current pandemic sweeping the world, many people are rightly concerned about providing first aid in emergencies. However, despite Covid-19, this does NOT mean that you should not assist anyone requiring first aid. A commonsense approach needs to be considered, keeping in mind modern social distancing, which must be balanced against the need to help others. Remember that firstly you have a responsibility to keep yourself safe …but you can still assist others in their time of need.

According to latest information from the Australian Resuscitation Council, if you are called upon to help someone requiring resuscitation, you should only apply hands-on CPR, i.e. NO rescue breathing. Remember, of course, to wash your hands thoroughly or apply hand sanitiser before and after touching any casualty. Furthermore, if available, use gloves and other personal protection equipment including gloves and a face mask.

What you need to know

What are the symptoms of someone infected with coronavirus?

Casualties with coronavirus may experience flu-like symptoms, for example: a fever, cough, runny nose, or shortness of breath. In more severe cases, infection can cause severe acute respiratory distress leading to pneumonia .

What is the difference between COVID-19 and the flu?

The symptoms of COVID-19 and the flu are very similar: both can cause fever and respiratory issues.

Both infections are also transmitted in the same manner, either via coughing or sneezing, or by direct contact with hands, surfaces or objects already contaminated with the virus.

The big differences between each disease are the speed of transmission and the severity of the infection.

The time from infection to the appearance of symptoms is typically shorter with the flu. However, there are higher proportions of severe and critical COVID-19 infections.

Protect others and stop the spread

We can all help slow the spread of COVID-19 in Australia. To protect others everyone must follow these guidelines:

  • practise good hygiene by washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before rinsing.

  • practise social distancing, i.e. keep 1.5 metres apart from each other. A good measure of this when out shopping is to keep apart from others the same distance as one trolley. When shopping at the supermarket, wait away from other shoppers while they are choosing from the shelves and wait for them to move on. Don’t crowd each other. AND DON’T PANIC BUY! THIS CAUSES FEAR AMONG OTHERS, which leads to further panic which can be fatal.

  • follow the government’s limits for public gatherings, despite how difficult this may be, especially when out in public. now is NOT the time, unfortunately, for large gatherings, parties, etc. These may need to be postponed until the pandemic is over.

  • understand how to self-isolate if you need to; 14 days away from others, no social visits or outings, etc.

REMEMBER: WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. FOLLOWING THESE RULES WILL ASSIST US TO WEATHER THIS PANDEMIC, LIMITING ILLNESSES AND DEATHS AMONG THE GENERAL POPULATION! KEEP WELL, SAFE AND CALM !

Martin Warneke