Not subjective and neglectful in prevention of Covid-19

​Checking body temperature for people entering Dong Nai Hospital

Good execution of the “5K messages”

Deputy Director of the Department of Health Le Quang Trung has sent an official document to the Health Centers of districts, Bien Hoa City and Long Khanh City to require strengthening the Covid-19 pandemic prevention in the new situation.

Accordingly, the leaders of the Department of Health instructed the units to strictly implement the "5K message" (in Vietnamese): (Khau trang) Facemask – (Khu khuan) Disinfection – (Khoang cach) Distance – (Khong tu tap) No Gathering – (Khai bao y te) Health Declaration. At the same time, it is required to consolidate the network of monitoring and respond in a quick, effective, and accurate manner; save costs; minimize damage caused by the pandemic; be not subjective and neglectful, resolutely prevent sources of transmission, localize and thoroughly handle outbreaks, and consolidate the Covid-19 pandmic control team in the community; closely monitor and apply medical quarantine for cases entering into Vietnam by water or road, especially paying attention to cases coming back from Cambodia by water.

For service staff in the provincial concentrated isolation ward, it is required to strictly comply with medical isolation regulations under the Ministry of Health's instruction, absolutely not allowing cross-contamination in the ward. At the end of the 14-day period, if there is no positive case, the service staff in the ward will be able to return home and work normally. In case of a positive case, it must be handled according to the Ministry of Health's instruction.

For service staff in the isolated ward at hotels and motels, it is also required to strictly comply with the Ministry of Health's regulations. In case of a shift change, these service staff are subject to 14-day isolation at home from the date of leaving the ward and going home by specialized vehicles according to the Ministry of Health's instructions.

Additional fourteen days of health monitoring are required for subjects after the isolation period. They are allowed to work normally during the period but required to strictly comply with the "5K message" of the Ministry of Health. Units with isolated hotels are obliged to arrange specialist transport for updated information.

Testing for early detection of cases 

The director of the Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention Bach Thai Binh advised that special attention has still been paid for early testing to detect cases by the health sector. In addition to those who immigrate from abroad and have close contact with the cases with infection, etc. patients who are in inpatient treatment in hospitals with symptoms of respiratory tract infections are also subject to be sampled for SARS-CoV- 2 testing.

Therefore, agencies are required to strengthen monitoring for allegedly serious viral pneumonia, severe acute respiratory infections, flu syndrome, and event-based monitoring for early detection of suspected cases in treatment facilities and community. These people should be tested for SARS-CoV-2.

During epidemiological investigation, emphasis should be placed on definition of a close contact, who has been exposed within 2 meters of an established or suspected case within 3 days prior to the onset of confirmed or suspected cases until the confirmed or suspected case is in medical isolation. If the carrier is a healthy person, the date of initiation is the date of specimen collection with positive results for SARS-CoV-2 testing.

According to statistics of the Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, up to now, 3 testing facilities of the province like the Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dong Nai General Hospital, and Thong Nhat General Hospital have performed tests on SARS-CoV-2 for more than 9.6 thousand patient samples. Timely testing to detect cases early in order to thoroughly localize, isolate and suppress the outbreak is one of the most effective measures to prevent this pandemic.

Bao Ngoc