Reduce treatment and quarantine time for Covid-19 patients

The reason given by the Ministry of Health is that these cases are unlikely to spread to the community. However, these cases must still be monitored and medically supervised at their place of residence for 14 days.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long has just worked with the Ministry's Standing Office for Epidemic Prevention and Control in Ho Chi Minh City and experts to assess the developments of the fourth outbreak and discuss professional issues on treatment, quarantine, testing, etc. in Ho Chi Minh City and some localities in the Southern region.

Accordingly, experts assess that the Delta variant has the ability to spread quickly and widely in the early days of the disease, due to the elimination of pathogens at very high concentrations. Therefore, the application of rapid tests to screen and detect early cases (F0) is necessary and appropriate to the current epidemic situation. This has also been proven through the epidemic in Bac Giang, Bac Ninh and currently Ho Chi Minh City.

Minister Nguyen Thanh Long worked with the Ministry's Standing Office for Epidemic Prevention and Control in Ho Chi Minh City and experts to discuss professional issues on epidemic prevention and control in Ho Chi Minh City and some localities in the southern region. Photo: VGP/Tran Minh

Also at this meeting, information from research results of about 20,000 patients showed that nearly 70% of patients did not record symptoms. Cases of patients with severe progression occurred 7-10 days after testing positive.

Based on the evolution of virus concentration and clinical progress, the Ministry of Health decided to reduce the treatment and isolation time for Covid-19 patients.

Specifically, asymptomatic Covid-19 cases being cared for and treated at medical facilities will be tested by RT-PCR on the 9th and 10th day. If the two tests are negative or the two tests are positive but the virus concentration index is low (CT value >=30), they will be discharged from the hospital and do not have to be quarantined, because the possibility of spreading to the community is almost zero. However, these cases must still be monitored and medically supervised at their place of residence for 14 days.

Mr. Dao Quang Kham, Head of the Militia and Self-Defense Force of Trung Hoa 1 Block (Vinh City) posted a notice board in front of the gate of families with members in quarantine so that people would know and limit contact. Photo courtesy: Tien Dong

Positive casesSARS-CoV-2 virusIf detected in the community, if the CT value is >=30, the patient will be transferred to a medical facility and a second test sample will be taken after 24 hours. If the second test result is negative or positive but the CT value is >=30, the patient will be discharged from the hospital and monitored and medically supervised at the place of residence for 14 days.

The Ministry of Health has also summarized more than 400 cases of relapse after discharge from the hospital and recorded no cases of community transmission. Therefore, the Ministry of Health recommends that if localities detect cases of relapse in the community, they do not need to implement isolation measures or handle the outbreak. These cases need to continue medical monitoring. If symptoms appear, they should immediately contact a medical facility for care and monitoring.

Adjust quarantine period to 14 days

Regarding the issue of quarantine, based on practice and referring to recommendations from the World Health Organization, the US CDC and discussions with localities, the Ministry of Health decided to reduce the quarantine period to 14 days for all forms of quarantine (centralized quarantine, home quarantine) for entrants and F1 cases. However, the Ministry of Health requires localities and units to strictly implement management and supervision.isolationand handover, medical monitoring after quarantine according to regulations.

Regarding treatment, the Ministry of Health has directed units to increase treatment capacity and set up intensive care units (ICUs) at hospitals treating Covid-19.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son, Head of the Ministry of Health's special standing unit in Ho Chi Minh City to fight the Covid-19 epidemic. Photo: VGP/Tran Minh

The Ministry of Health also sent a working delegation from Bach Mai Hospital to Dong Nai to set up an ICU center there to receive and treat seriously ill and critically ill patients in the Southeast region.

For the Southwestern region, the Ministry of Health has directed Can Tho Central General Hospital to establish an ICU Center to admit and treat seriously ill and critical patients in this region.

The Ministry of Health notes that for severe and critical patients, medical facilities must immediately contact the Standing Department in Ho Chi Minh City for timely professional support.

In addition, the Ministry of Health has also sent a working delegation from Hue Central Hospital to Dong Thap to support treatment, and 7 special standing working groups of the Ministry in the Southern and Central provinces are continuing to support localities in disease prevention and control.