Fearing Covid-19, people test quickly 'indiscriminately', experts warn urgently

Dr. Truong Huu Khanh, former head of the Department of Infectious Diseases - Neurology, Children's Hospital 1 (HCMC), said that people only perform rapid tests at home when there is a risk or symptoms. According to Dr. Khanh, when you come into contact with F0 but keep a distance (over 2m), wear a mask and do not have symptoms such as (cough, fever, difficulty breathing...) there is no need to test.

We have to listen to our bodies to decide whether a rapid test is necessary or not. For example, a young, healthy person with no signs of a cold (such as not staying up late, not being out in the sun, getting caught in the rain, or having other unexplained symptoms of a cold or fever), should take a rapid test to check for the risk of Covid-19 infection.

“Using too many unnecessary rapid tests will waste time and money,” Dr. Khanh affirmed.

According to doctors, people should proactively follow the 5K recommendations, limit travel and gathering in crowded places to prevent the risk of infection. In case you try to prevent but still get infected, stay calm, monitor and treat according to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health.

In case of Covid-19 infection, people should be tested according to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health. Specifically, according to the latest regulations of the Ministry of Health, F0 without symptoms or mild symptoms treated at home should have a rapid test on the 7th day. In case the test result is still positive after 7 days, they should continue to be isolated for 10 days for those who have received the full dose of vaccine and 14 days for those who have not received the full dose of vaccine.

For F1, a test must be performed on the 5th day of isolation. If the result is negative, continue to self-monitor your health for the next 5 days. For F1 who have not received the full dose or have not received the vaccine, they must be isolated for 7 days and tested on the 7th day of isolation.