Province attaches special importance to home-based treatment for F0 cases

After being vaccinated, most Covid-19 cases are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, so they should be monitored, cared for and treated at home. The healthcare and treatment for F0 cases isolated at home have been continuously improved by grassroots medical units with efficiency enhanced.

Dedicated care

Nguyen Thi Anh Tuyet, a worker of Nhan Hoang Co., Ltd. in the Dong Nam Industrial Park in HCM city’s Cu Chi district, staying in Hiep Thanh ward’s quarter 5 in Thu Dau Mot city said that she has received two full doses of Covid-19 vaccine, but two days ago when feeling tired with cough and slight fever, she quickly tested for Covid-19 with positive result. She immediately called Hiep Thanh ward’s Medical Station to report her condition. After that, the ward’s medical staff went down to take a quick test, took a PCR test sample and gave a positive result.

The health sector requires localities to ensure that all F0 cases under home treatment are managed, monitored, guided in self-care and distributed medicine fully

Thanks to being vaccinated with 2 doses of Covid-19 vaccine, she only had mild symptoms. Hence, she was allowed for home isolation and treatment. “Thanks to being supported from the ward’s medical staff, my health has got  better only after 2 days of taking medicine…The ward’s  medical officer also gave me a phone number to directly contact them when needing health advice", said Anh Tuyet.

Similarly, Nguyen Van Y, an employee of Big C Binh Duong supermarket, living in Hiep Thanh ward’s quarter 7 in Thu Dau Mot city said that on November 2, after getting a positive rapid test result, he immediately called the ward’s medical staff to report his condition. The ward’s medical staff conducted PCR and rapid tests for his whole family. As a result, he and his 8-year-old son tested positive. Because being vaccinated with 2 doses of Covid-19 vaccine and having mild symptoms, he should be isolated and treated at home. “The medical staff's examination and treatment is very timely and thoughtful. Along with a "medication bag for F0 case under home treatment " from the ward’s medical staff, I took pains to do exercise, ate and drank in moderation. So far, my health has got better and better. The ward’s medical staff also advised my son to take drugs under prescription, so his health is now more stable", said Y.

Vuong Thi Ngoc Thao, Deputy Head of Hiep Thanh ward’s Medical Station said that after detecting and receiving information about F0 cases or suspected ones, the ward’s Medical Station has immediately sent its staff to sites to take samples for testing, distribute treatment drugs and assign its staff to periodically monitor patients ‘health while providing patients with the medical station’s phone number to contact when they need help as well as advice on health. Currently, Hiep Thanh ward has about 30,000 people living and working and it is also one of the city’s wards with a large number of lodging facilities and lodgers. There are now 622 F0 cases under home treatment. The ward’s medical station only has 6 medical staff and one of them is serving in the isolation treatment area. Therefore, the remaining 5 health workers have to take on a large amount of work, including conducting rapid tests for Covid-19 screening, tracing F1 contacts of infected patients, organizing vaccination, completing isolation treatment procedures for F0, F1 cases...

Constantly improving efficiency

In order to safely, flexibly adapt to and effectively control the pandemic in the "new normal" state, with a policy of home isolation and treatment for asymptomatic F0 cases, the province has rearranged and streamlined field hospitals. However, in order to live with the pandemic, each district, town and city retains an F0 treatment area. Upholding the role of grassroots health units, the local health sector has promoted the activities of mobile health stations in communes, wards, townships, industrial parks and compounds, reducing pressure on health facilities. The local medical centers with Covid-19 treatment facilities on the 2nd floor are used to care for patients with severe and critical symptoms.

The province has also established and put 153 mobile health stations into operation in residential areas and industrial parks with a total of 128 doctors and nurses, bringing healthcare closer to people and workers. The activities of the mobile health stations, including monitoring, giving home care for F0 cases, detecting and making hospital transfer for severe F0 cases, conducting rapid Covid-19 testing, organizing vaccination... As of November 6, the province had a total of 2,475 F0 patients under home treatment.

Pham Van Bay, Vice-Chairman of Di An city’s People's Committee said that home isolation and treatment for F0 cases in the city was carried out by localities in the spirit of absolutely not letting any cases lack drugs while responding quickly and promptly in cases of severe development for timely emergency treatment. Localities are interested in doing well from examination and distribution of medicines to health consultancy for F0 cases...Especially, the city’s medical facilities, mobile health stations, community-based anti-Covid-19 teams and quarters’ officials are all interested in announcing their phone numbers so that F0 cases contact in case of need.

At present, most F0 cases in the province have no symptoms or have mild symptoms, so they should be monitored, cared for and treated at home and places of residence. Therefore, the number of F0 cases under home treatment has increased, overloading the local health sector, making patients difficult to fully access medical services. In order to further improve the effectiveness of home treatment for F0 cases, Dr. Nguyen Hong Chuong, Director of provincial Department of Health said that the Department has issued a dispatch sending to the Steering Committees for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, the health centers of districts, towns and cities on strengthening care and treatment for F0 cases at home in the province.

Accordingly, localities have urgently established mobile health stations under the guidance of the Department of Health, ensuring that all F0 cases under home treatment must be managed, monitored, guided in self-care and given adequate medicines in accordance with the regulations of the health sector; let no F0 case under home treatment get serious or die, due to not being accessed to local health services.

Provincial Department of Health has sent an official dispatch requesting localities to establish mobile health stations, ensuring that all F0 cases under home treatment must be managed, monitored, guided in self-care and given adequate medicines in accordance with the regulations of the health sector; let no F0 case under home treatment get serious or die, due to not being accessed to local health services.

Reported by Do Trong-Translated by Kim Tim