Disaster and safety experts are calling on people with emergency response training to promptly perform life-saving procedures in emergency situations, even if they are afraid of contracting COVID-19 from the person in need.

The Tokyo-based AED Foundation of Japan, which promotes the use of automated external defibrillators, has asked those who have undertaken life-saving training not to let coronavirus fears outweigh the need to step in and attempt to revive someone who may be experiencing cardiac arrest.

The group is reassuring the public that the risk of infection when performing chest compressions can be reduced by taking reasonable preventative measures, such as wearing a mask.

According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, the number of life-saving procedures performed by people present at the scene of an emergency — such as a sudden cardiac arrest — has dropped significantly since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Before the pandemic, the proportion of cases where defibrillators were used to try and restore normal heart rhythm in someone experiencing cardiac arrest had been gradually increasing, exceeding 5% in 2019. But agency data shows the rate had dropped to 4.2% in 2020.

The agency, which is affiliated with the internal affairs ministry, says that the proportion of people whose lives were saved thanks to the immediate actions of people at the scene has also declined. The figure dropped from 13.9% in 2018 and 2019 to 12.2% in 2020, just as the coronavirus began to spread nationwide.

In Japan, nearly 80,000 people die every year from sudden cardiac arrest. Dialing 119 to call an ambulance, performing chest compressions and using an AED are the standard procedures if someone's heart suddenly loses proper function. The AED Foundation of Japan has stressed that early defibrillation is key to saving lives in these kinds of situations.

According to government data, using an AED on a person who has collapsed can raise the odds of their survival by as much as 53%, which is six times higher than if the person at the scene had simply called an ambulance.

The foundation also issued a reminder that it is vital to resume chest compressions immediately after delivering shocks from the AED.

Amid concerns about coronavirus infection, the group said that covering the mouth of the person who has collapsed with a mask or cloth can reduce the risk. They also urged people to wear masks themselves or to cover their own mouth and nose with a piece of cloth if they do not have a mask. They also recommended washing one’s hands and face after administering CPR or using an AED.

For those who are currently not trained in performing life-saving procedures, the foundation offers online workshops that teach participants both how to use an AED device and how to safely perform CPR.