Health Ministry requests strengthening management of COVID-19 patients

Treatment for COVID-19 patients at the Intensive Care Unit of the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Health (MoH) has ordered a review of the treatment and examinations of COVID-19 cases as the number of new infections continues to rise.

The order came in an official document sent to directors of provincial/municipal health departments, hospitals under the management of the MoH, and health managers of ministries and departments.

Currently, the number of coronavirus infections is increasing by up to 800 per day.

According to Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong, the number of critical and fatal cases is rising.

Numerous localities have recorded patients infected with the new sub-variants of the virus, which are much more contagious than the original.

New COVID-19 sub-variants registered in Vietnam are BA.4, BA.5, BA.2.75 and BA.2.12.1.

Following the report from the MoH subcommittee for treatment and expert council, the ministry requires authorities and hospitals to evaluate the situation and continue taking measures to minimise critical cases and fatalities while mitigating patient risks in medical facilities.

Areas for review include COVID-19 patient admission and examination, hospital bed arrangement, and medical staff allocation for optimal treatment.

Consultations among the medical facility's doctors and upper-level hospitals are encouraged, but it is not recommended to transfer patients, which could lead to overloading.

Medical facilities also need to enhance measures to prevent cross-infection as much as possible, especially for patients in high-risk groups, intensive care, or needing surgery.

For cases where the rapid test result is negative but concerns about COVID-19 remain, the MoH said that PCR testing is required, especially for patients with severe illnesses, to prevent widespread disease.

Provincial hospitals and facilities of the highest level in COVID-19 treatment must examine and assess severe cases that must be hospitalised, send out test samples for genetic sequencing, and report to the MoH for suitable adjustments in guidelines.

According to the MoH, among the recent severe cases and deaths caused by COVID-19, around 35% are partially or not vaccinated against the virus.

The ministry suggested reviewing and advocating for vaccinations, especially among people in high-risk groups such as seniors, children, and those with underlying health conditions.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong also said that vaccination progress is still slow in several localities, especially in terms of first and second doses for children aged five to 11 and booster shots for those aged 12 to 17.

She noted that the lessons learned from the past two years of pandemic control and prevention, the World Health Organisation and countries around the world is that vaccination is still the most effective tool for protecting people against COVID-19, including its new variants.

"Many countries have administered their population's first and second booster shots. More than 80 countries have given the COVID-19 vaccine to children aged five to 11, and some others for children below 5," she said.

For this reason, the MoH called for cities and provinces to enhance communication and highlight the benefits of vaccination against coronavirus, especially for people in high-risk groups and children.

It said that Vietnam logged an additional 3,241 COVID-19 cases on August 30, up 800 from the previous day. The new infections lifted the country's total caseload since the pandemic broke out to 11,408,952. With 13,142 patients given the all-clear during the day, the number of recoveries rose to 10,170,271. Meanwhile, there are 137 patients needing breathing support.

Four deaths from COVID-19 were recorded in the past 24 hours. The total facilities stood at 43,117. More than 256.29 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered so far.

Vietnam ranks 112 out of 227 countries and territories, with 114,980 infections per million people./.