Listen: Australian Red Cross regional training lead Janie McCullogh shares new research about the fear of giving CPR during COVID-19
By Georgia FreeFriday 11 Sep 2020WeekendsLifeReading Time: 1 minute
New research from the Australian Red Cross shows people are more reluctant than ever to give first aid to someone else – 82 per cent of Aussies are worried about catching COVID-19 from performing CPR.
Australian Red Cross regional training lead Janie McCullagh spoke to Hope 103.2 ahead of World First Aid Day on Saturday 12 September. She encouraged the public to not be deterred by coronavirus if the need arises to perform CPR in an emergency.
“While we understand that people are apprehensive and concerned, if you take the necessary steps to protect yourself when giving first aid, the risk is very low,” Janie said.
However, Janie was also encouraged by the amount of interest from the public in learning first aid, since the pandemic began.
“We’ve seen a real insurgence of people wanting to get their training, which is really encouraging to see,” she said.
To celebrate World First Aid Day, the Red Cross is running free online first aid sessions on Saturday 12 September, 9.30am and 11.30am.