Nghe An: Expanding quarantine of F1 cases at their place of residence
(Baonghean.vn) - In the context of the complicated developments of the Covid-19 epidemic with many cases and many related people, implementing F1 isolation at the place of residence according to the model of inter-family groups and households is very necessary.
This will reduce pressure on the entire anti-epidemic system, reduce budget expenditures and avoid cross-infection.
Isolate many F1s at their place of residence
For several days now, the family of Mr. Hoang Minh Tam, in Duc Thanh hamlet, Nghi Hoa commune, Nghi Loc district, has been "closed and locked".F1 cases quarantined at homeSo the family members did not leave the gate. The family also voluntarily locked the gate and gave the key to the community Covid team of the neighborhood for safekeeping. The community Covid team will only open when F1 and everyone in the house are negative for SARS-CoV-2 within the next 14 days.
 |
| Isolating F1 cases at their residence according to inter-family groups and households in Nghi Hoa commune, Nghi Loc district. Photo: Thanh Son |
Being quarantined at home, everyone in Mr. Tam's family is very comfortable psychologically and said: At home, there is enough food, and we have the conditions to monitor and care for each other's health better. When the food runs out, there are relatives and the community Covid team to support. If anyone shows unusual health symptoms, the family also has the hotline number of the commune and the health station to call immediately. The family is very reassured!
In Nghi Hoa commune, not only Mr. Hoang Minh Tam's family has an F1 case isolated at their residence, but there are also 260 other families doing the same... Nghi Hoa is one of the epidemic centers of Nghi Loc district; along with 3 communes, Nghi Phuong, Nghi Dien and Quan Hanh town have been announced at level 4. From November 4 to now, the whole commune has had 6/8 hamlets with infections, with 51 cases of Covid-19, along with 360 F1 cases.
 |
| Community Covid team posts notice of home quarantine. Photo: Archive |
To quarantine F1 cases, the Steering Committee and the Covid-19 Prevention and Control Command Center of the commune will classify the subjects based on the investigation and tracing results of the police and health agencies. F1 cases with a very high risk of infection will be quarantined at the old District Military Quarantine Area, Trung Hau Parish Catechism School and kindergarten. Lower risk cases will be quarantined at home. Currently, the whole commune has 261 F1 cases quarantined at their place of residence.
For F1 cases isolated at their place of residence, the Commune People's Committee has issued a decision for each specific case; requiring the head of the household and family members to write a commitment with the following contents: Ensuring facilities; implementing disinfection; monitoring and reminding the isolated person to ensure isolation requirements; not having close contact with the isolated person; not allowing others into the house during the isolation period; notifying medical staff when the isolated person leaves the house and has unusual health symptoms; self-monitoring health; coordinating with medical staff to take samples for SARS-CoV-2 testing; limiting contact with others...
 |
| After detecting Covid-19 cases, Nghi Loc has drastically implemented solutions to prevent, control and suppress the epidemic such as strengthening communication work; organizing isolation areas and setting up checkpoints for inspection... Photo: Khanh Son |
Mr. Dang Tho Thieu - Vice Chairman of Nghi Hoa Commune People's Committee added: To ensure that the quarantine at the place of residence is well implemented, Nghi Hoa Commune has also posted a sign "Family has someone quarantined at home" in front of the gate so that everyone knows and avoids contact; announced on the radio system within the commune and within the hamlet about families with people in quarantine; members of the Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control of the commune and the Community Covid Team regularly check and monitor the quarantine of families and F1 cases twice a day; organized for medical staff to come to the house to collect Covid-19 test samples according to regulations for families with people in quarantine.
Similar to Nghi Hoa commune, Nghi Phuong is also an epidemic center of Nghi Loc district with 21 Covid-19 cases, 310 F1 cases. Currently, the commune is isolating 18 F1 cases at the kindergarten and 292 cases are isolated at their residence. According to Mr. Hoang Trung Thong - Chairman of Nghi Phuong Commune People's Committee: Isolation at the residence is very convenient because of its convenience; ensuring epidemic prevention conditions; limiting the movement of F1 cases... People also welcome this isolation policy.
More efficient and safer
According to Dr. Le Doan Hung - Deputy Director of Nghi Loc District Medical Center: Nghi Loc District started implementing the policy of isolating F1 at the place of residence in October 2021, with F1 cases in Nghi Thai commune. Through studying the model of provinces and cities in the South, the District Medical Center has proposed a plan to isolate F1 at the place of residence to solve the practical problem of a large number of citizens returning from the Southern provinces, people related to many infected cases, while centralized isolation facilities in the district are very limited, lacking necessary facilities.
 |
| Nghi Loc district has announced level 4 epidemic in Nghi Hoa, Nghi Dien, Nghi Phuong communes and Quan Hanh town; quarantined over 1,670 F1; tested the community for over 12,000 people. Photo: Khanh Son |
Through investigation and tracing, Nghi Loc district has 1,670 F1 cases (as of the afternoon of November 13). However, not all F1 cases are quarantined at their residence. Before making a decision, the Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control of communes and towns will coordinate with health agencies to survey and assess the actual conditions of households to ensure safety or not. If housing conditions allow, they will be quarantined by household, or by inter-family groups (F1s in the same hamlet, 1 group will be quarantined at the same house). Currently, more than half of the F1 cases have been quarantined at their residence.
Isolating F1 cases at their place of residence has greatly reduced pressure on localities, reduced costs, and especially the isolated environment in each household will limit the possibility of cross-infection...
Besides the advantages, implementing F1 isolation at home by inter-family groups and households still has shortcomings and difficulties: Firstly, this isolation depends largely on the awareness of Covid-19 prevention and control of F1 cases (in fact, Nghi Phuong commune has had to punish a number of cases that had a decision to isolate at their place of residence but still went out). Secondly, it depends on the awareness of people in the family with F1 cases isolated at home. Everyone in the house needs to follow the 5K recommendation and keep a distance from F1 cases.
 |
| Quarantined families feel more secure when they are fully supplied with essential goods. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
And finally, the force carrying out the task of preventing and fighting Covid-19 must work harder to carry out its tasks. The Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control and the Community Covid Teams in localities must increase their staff to meet the food needs of the people; allocate more time and effort to monitor and inspect. The grassroots medical staff must go to each household to collect samples for testing, while still having to perform other tasks such as taking care of people's health, vaccinating against Covid-19, etc.
In Nghe An, previously, localities such as Anh Son, Cua Lo, Quy Chau... also implemented isolation of F1 cases at their residence according to inter-family groups and households. However, up to now, Nghi Loc is the locality that has widely applied this model on a large scale. From the lessons and experiences of Nghi Loc, Nghe An Provincial People's Committee is directing Nghe An Department of Health to develop a plan and instructions for home isolation to be widely applied throughout the province.
 |
| Families with people quarantined at home have notices posted in front of their doors. Photo: HT |
To solve the difficulties and shortcomings of the F1 isolation model at the place of residence according to inter-family groups and households, comrade Bui Dinh Long - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee clearly directed: Localities must prioritize and focus on calling for resources for epidemic prevention and control; need to promote propaganda work through many channels to raise awareness of Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control for people; strengthen consolidation, have forms of encouragement for the community Covid Team to operate more and more effectively... only then, the F1 isolation according to the inter-family model can be expanded, more effective and safer.