Director of Nghe An Department of Health: 'Covid-19 vaccination is a very important steel shield'

At the 4th Session of the 18th Nghe An Provincial People's Council, on the morning of December 8, Comrade Duong Dinh Chinh - Member of the Provincial Party Executive Committee, Director of Nghe An Department of Health, Deputy Commander of the Provincial Center for Covid-19 Prevention and Control discussed a number of contents related to forecasting the situation and solutions to prevent and control Covid-19 in the coming time.

Overview of the discussion session in the hall on the morning of December 8. Photo: Thanh Cuong

The Director of Nghe An Department of Health said: Up to this point, Nghe An has recorded 5,361 cases of Covid-19 infection, especially from October 1st to now, 3,343 cases have been recorded. The complexity of the epidemic has increased in the past two weeks, especially the epidemic has spread to industrial zones and schools.

Currently, for people aged 18 and over, Nghe An has vaccinated 98% of the first dose and 72% of the second dose. For the group of children aged 12-17, there are about 320,000 children, of which 120,000 have been vaccinated, reaching 36%. The Director of the Department of Health affirmed: The vaccination coverage target will be achieved in the near future.

Assessing the Covid-19 epidemic situation in the coming time, the Director of the Department of Health predicted that there will be many potential risks with complicated nature. This assessment comes from the reason that the current epidemic situation nationwide is developing complicatedly, while preparing for Tet, people from other localities returning to the province will increase.

Associate Professor, Dr. Duong Dinh Chinh - Director of Nghe An Department of Health spoke at the discussion session in the hall. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Along with that, the detection of infections in the community is later than the previous stage because the cases have been vaccinated, so the incubation period is long, and there are almost no symptoms (nearly 30% have symptoms, about 60% are asymptomatic, 10% have mild symptoms), so early detection is very difficult.

From the lessons learned from localities across the country in general and Nghe An in particular, Associate Professor, Dr. Duong Dinh Chinh discussed a number of key solutions to ensure good epidemic prevention and control work, especially implementing Resolution 128 of the Government: "Safely and flexibly adapting and effectively controlling the Covid-19 epidemic", to ensure both economic development and social security in the coming time.

According to the head of the Nghe An Health sector, first of all, it is necessary to continue to persistently implement the correct orientations and strategies of the Government, the Prime Minister, the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, and relevant ministries and branches on epidemic prevention and control, especially implementing Resolution 128 of the Government.

Along with that, Associate Professor, Dr. Duong Dinh Chinh also hopes that localities will continue to promote their initiative in epidemic prevention and control. "The certain achievements in fighting the epidemic are not only of the health sector but also of the entire political system, as well as the initiative and determination of localities," the Director of the Department of Health expressed.

On the other hand, it is necessary to continue to promote the motto: "4 on-site" in disease prevention and control. According to the head of Nghe An Health Department, the province has long promoted the motto "4 on-site" very well; however, after a long period of disease prevention and control, as well as switching to the strategy of "Safe, flexible adaptation, effective control of Covid-19 epidemic", some localities and a part of the population still have a somewhat subjective mentality.

"Any locality that does well and is proactive early will have less trouble for us," said the Director of the Department of Health, and pointed out that the connotation of "proactive" is the need to develop scenarios and plans for disease prevention and control that are appropriate to the practical situation, based on the viewpoints of the Steering Committee and the Center for Covid-19 Disease Prevention and Control of the province.

Delegates attending the group discussion session. Photo: Thanh Cuong

In particular, according to Associate Professor, Dr. Duong Dinh Chinh, the spirit of initiative needs to be thoroughly implemented down to the commune level because recent practice has shown that there are wards and communes that are still confused when implementing Resolution 128 of the Government; activities are not carried out in accordance with the epidemic level in the area.

Sharing the difficulties of localities in allocating resources after a long period of epidemic prevention and control, especially funding sources; however, in the context of the complicated developments of the epidemic, the Director of Nghe An Department of Health hopes that localities pay attention to overcoming difficulties and allocating appropriate resources for epidemic prevention and control work.

Another extremely important measure that Director of the Department of Health Duong Dinh Chinh noted is the need to continue to control population movements not only from other provinces and cities, but also within localities throughout the province, especially people coming from epidemic areas.

Along with that, it is necessary to "reheat" and promote the role of the community Covid team with the viewpoint of promoting the role of the people, taking the people as the main subject. On the other hand, it is necessary to carry out inspection and supervision well because in reality there are still certain loopholes leading to cross-infection in concentrated quarantine areas, infections in schools, markets, etc.

The Director of the Department of Health also emphasized the need to continue to do a good job of communication, especially communication at the grassroots level, to raise people's awareness of disease prevention and control; avoiding subjectivity.

On the other hand, based on the analysis of the effectiveness of vaccination in disease prevention and control, especially the recent assessment by the Ministry of Health that Nghe An is one of the two localities in the country with the lowest Covid-19 mortality rate in the country, comrade Duong Dinh Chinh also requested localities to be resolute in mobilizing people to participate in vaccination when in the coming time, after 2 doses are fully vaccinated, Nghe An will deploy the 3rd dose of vaccine for the supplementary vaccination group and the booster vaccination group. "Vaccination is a very important steel shield", Associate Professor, Dr. Duong Dinh Chinh emphasized.

Centralized quarantine facility in Nhon Mai commune, Tuong Duong district. Photo: Thanh Cuong

The Director of Nghe An Department of Health also discussed some orientations of the health sector in the coming time in the work of preventing and fighting the Covid-19 epidemic. Accordingly, the Department has advised the Steering Committee and the Provincial Covid-19 Prevention and Control Command Center to develop a strategy for isolating F1 at home. However, he also noted that home isolation must be carried out in accordance with practical conditions to avoid infection to family members and the community.

Along with that, the Department of Health has also advised on the strategy for treating F0 at the facility. Accordingly, through the pilot model implemented in Tan Ky to treat about 200 patients, it has shown good results and can be deployed widely in 19 districts and towns; Vinh City and Cua Lo Town alone have treatment facilities so no admission facilities will be formed.

The Director of Nghe An Department of Health also said that the industry is building a treatment scenario for F0 in the upcoming period, including establishing two centers to treat severe patients at the Tropical Disease Center, Provincial General Hospital and Traffic Hospital (old), with the goal of minimizing patient deaths.

Previously at the meeting, Director of Nghe An Department of Health Duong Dinh Chinh also discussed a number of contents related to the implementation of policies and regimes in the prevention and control of Covid-19 epidemic.

Affirming that Resolution No. 16/NQ-CP dated February 8, 2021 on medical isolation costs, medical examination and treatment and some special regimes in the prevention and control of Covid-19 epidemic has very specific regulations, the Director of the Department of Health requested that localities closely follow to implement.

Because through understanding the actual situation in recent times, the Department of Health found that the implementation of the policy basically had no problems, but in some localities, due to limited funding sources, the payment was slower.