A medical worker takes care of a Covid-19 patient (Photo : SGGP)
He made the statement at a conference to review health sector activities in 2021 and implement key activities in 2022 organized by the Department of Health of Ho Chi Minh City yesterday.
Although most people with Covid-19 get better within weeks of illness, some people experience post-Covid conditions. Post-Covid conditions are a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems people can experience four or more weeks after first being infected with the virus that causes Covid-19. Many individuals experience persistent symptoms and a decline in health-related quality of life after coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) illness.
According to Dr. Nguyen Anh Dung, Deputy Director of the Department of Health in HCMC, as of January 11, the southern metropolis has nearly 500,000 Covid-19 cases accounting for about 5 percent of the city's population including more than 300,000 recoveries; hence, post-Covid-19 health care needs are of concern.
Research results show that 33 percent – 76 percent of patients may experience symptoms post Covid-19 at least six months after the acute phase. Roughly 20 percent of patients have to be re-hospitalized while 80 percent of patients must be monitored at a primary care facility within two months after their discharge from hospitals.
Worse, not only seriously ill patients or elderly people with comorbidities but also in young, healthy people with mild disease have experienced post-Covid condition, Dr. Dung revealed.
According to Dr. Nguyen Anh Dung, the most common persistent symptoms were fatigue, brain fog, prolonged loss of sense of smell or taste, brain disease, stroke, difficulty breathing, cough, chest pain, post-Covid lung disease, skin diseases, depression, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, social isolation, cardiovascular diseases. A post-Covid-19 syndrome not only has a great impact on health but also on work, society, and the economy. Therefore, post-Covid-19 health care is essential in the current context with strategies to approach physical, mental, and social health. Early intervention strategy with early treatment and care for people with the post-Covid-19 syndrome is needed.
In the coming time, according to Dr. Nguyen Anh Dung, Ho Chi Minh City will apply IT in post-Covid-19 health care and management, improving health care capacity for people after Covid-19, especially at grassroots medical levels, and develop guidelines for post-Covid-19 treatment.
Grassroots health care facilities will take care of a group of mild post-Covid-19 patients, and detect health problems as well as remote consultation and treatment with macrobiotic methods, non-drug treatments while combining modern medicine and traditional medicine.
Infirmaries in districts will take care of a group of moderate post-Covid-19 patients by giving clinical examination, sub-clinical tests, management, and care, drug treatment, scientific research, specialized consultations, IT application in care management of this subject.
Finally, big specialized and general hospitals take care of a group of severe post-Covid-19 patients by giving examination and treatment of respiratory, cardiovascular, neuropsychiatric, rehabilitation, scientific research, development of treatment regimens, IT application in care management of people.
