Source: Qinhuangdao Daily
At present, the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic has become the major concern of the whole society. On February 1, Qinhuangdao Daily reporter interviewed relevant leaders of the Qinhuangdao Health Committee on the hot issues to respond to social concerns.
What measures have been adopted to quarantine and rescue after the suspected and confirmed cases appeared?
After the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia, the municipal party committee and municipal government attached great importance to it, and conscientiously implemented the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions, resolutely implemented the deployments of the Central Party Committee, the State Council, and the provincial party committee and the provincial government, and took the epidemic prevention and control as the most important work to do, immediately launched the emergency plan, designated the No.3 Hospital as the hospital for the centralized treatment of suspected and confirmed cases, the No. 1 Hospital and the Gangkou Hospital for backup treatment, and established a municipal medical treatment expert group. Suspected or confirmed cases should be immediately transferred to the No. 3 Hospital by special ambulance, the disease control departments at all levels should quickly conduct epidemiological investigations, comprehensively investigate the close contacts, and implement centralized medical quarantine observation. At present, the suspected and confirmed cases found in our city are under quarantine treatment at the No. 3 Hospital of Qinhuangdao City.
2. How to investigate the suspected, confirmed cases and close contacts?
Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia, we have actively responded to the epidemic prevention and control, strictly implemented the jurisdiction management responsibility after successively reporting suspected and confirmed cases in accordance with the Epidemic Disease Control Law and the Prevention and Control Plan, and all cases are treated in quarantine at designated hospitals. While reporting the cases, the municipal CDC guides the county CDC where the patients live to conduct investigations in accordance with the “close contact determination criteria” in the plan, combined with the results of the epidemiological investigation of the patients. In addition, since January 23, we have successively received notifications from close contacts of Beijing, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, and Shandong provinces. The close contacts of local investigations and external investigations are under strict-managed centralized quarantine medical observation in accordance with the requirements for close contacts in the Prevention and Control Plan, the principle of jurisdiction management, and the requirement of one person in one room. During the observation process, they should be immediately transferred to the designated medical institution for quarantine, treatment, and inspection as soon as symptoms such as fever and cough appeared.
3. Why is there a sudden increase in suspected cases in our city in recent days? Does it mean that the epidemic is spreading?
Recently, the National Health Commission issued the Notice on Printing and Distributing the Diagnosis and Treatment Scheme for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia(Trial Version 4), adjusted the diagnostic criteria for suspected cases, and relaxed the diagnostic conditions and scope of suspected cases. Those who have a history of epidemiological exposure, at the same time meeting any two of the following clinical manifestations will be confirmed the suspected cases: (1) fever; (2) with pneumonia imaging characteristics, that is, multiple small patchy shadows and interstitial changes in the early stage, which are obvious in the outer lung zone. Further development of multiple ground glass infiltration and infiltrates in the lungs, severe cases may appear pulmonary consolidation, pleural effusion is rare; (3) the total number of white blood cells in the early stage of disease is normal or decreased, or the lymphocyte count is reduced. As a result, the number of suspected cases meeting the above diagnostic criteria has increased. At the same time, the process from being suspected to confirmed need strict diagnostic criteria, the number of suspected cases doesn’t mean the number of confirmed cases.
4. How many designated hospitals and fever wards are there in our city now? Are there enough beds for novel coronavirus pneumonia? And what about the treatment capacity of medical units?
At present, there are 24 level two and above fever clinics, and the No. 3 Hospital has been designated as the hospital for medical treatment of suspected, confirmed, and severe cases of novel coronavirus infection. There are 200 beds for patients. In addition, the No. 1 Hospital and Gangkou Hospital have been designated as the municipal medical treatment reserve hospitals, with 100 and 64 beds for the treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia patients, respectively. County-level hospitals that meet the standards could be launched as the backup hospitals according to the epidemic situation, to unite the medical resources throughout the city to treat the patients. Judging from the current situation, the existing bed resources of medical institutions in our city should be able to meet the needs of treatment.
5.What should we do if we feel infected with the novel coronavirus? What is the treatment process?
Residents who have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and dry cough should go to the medical institution in time; those who have travelled in the epidemic areas, contacted with fever patients at the epidemic areas, or had clustered fever should go to the fever clinics in the medical institution with masks on. The doctor should inquire about the epidemiological history in detail, make a diagnosis based on the clinical manifestations, organize in-hospital expert consultations and county-level expert consultations in time for the suspected cases, and transfer the confirmed suspected cases to the designated hospital for quarantine and treatment in a timely manner.
6. Who are the suspected cases?
Those who have travelled or lived in Wuhan or other epidemic areas 14 days ago; those who have contacted with the patients with fever or respiratory symptoms from Wuhan or other epidemic areas 14 days ago; those who have gathering symptoms or been epidemiologically associated with novel coronavirus infections. At the same time, meet any two of the following clinical manifestations:
(1)Fever
(2)With pneumonia imaging characteristics, that is, multiple small patchy shadows and interstitial changes in the early stage, which are obvious in the outer lung zone. Further development of multiple ground glass infiltration and infiltrates in the lungs, severe cases may appear pulmonary consolidation, pleural effusion is rare
(3)The total number of white blood cells in the early stage of disease is normal or decreased, or the lymphocyte count is reduced.
7. How to confirm the novel coronavirus pneumonia? How long does it take from being suspected to confirmed?
On the basis of meeting the criteria for suspected cases, if the real-time fluorescent RT-PCR of respiratory specimens or blood specimens for detection of novel coronavirus nucleic acid positive or respiratory specimen or blood specimens for viral gene sequencing is highly homologous to known novel coronaviruses, it can be confirmed.
At present, all suspected cases can be reported as the confirmed ones only after being tested by provincial laboratory.
8. What are the criteria for determining close contacts?
Close contacts refer to those who have been in one of the following contact situations with suspected cases, confirmed cases and positive test persons, but haven’t taken effective protections:
(1) Those who live, study, or work together with them, or in other ways, like working close to each other or sharing the same classroom or living in the same house.
(2) Medical personnel and their family members, or other people who have similar close contact for diagnosis, treatment, and visiting cases, for example, visiting or staying in a confined environment with the patients, other patients and their escorts in the same ward.
(3) Those who are in close contact with them in the same transport vehicle, including the nursing staff ; escorts (family members, colleagues, friends, etc.); other passengers and attendants investigated may be in close contact with suspected cases, confirmed cases, or positive test persons.
(4) Other people who meet the criteria after on-site investigation and evaluation.
When judging close contacts and analyzing the possibility of infection, we should comprehensively think about the clinical manifestations of the cases, the contact ways with the cases, the protective measures taken during the contact, and the degree exposing to the contaminated environment and the objects, to make a comprehensive judgment.
9. Why do medical observations of close contacts take 14 days?
At present, it is necessary to take preventive public health measures such as strict medical observations for close contacts. This is a responsible attitude towards public health and safety, and also a common practice in the international community. With reference to the incubation period of diseases caused by other coronaviruses, and combined with information about novel coronavirus pneumonia cases and the actual situation of current prevention and control, the medical observation period for close contacts is set to 14 days, and home medical observations shall be made for close contacts.
10. How can citizens take precautions in public places?
(1) People working in public places should perform health monitoring on their own. If you have suspicious symptoms of novel coronavirus infection (including fever, cough, sore throat, chest tightness, dyspnea, mild appetite, fatigue, slightly poor spirit, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, headache, palpitation, conjunctivitis, mild muscle soreness of limbs or lower back, etc.), do not go to work.
(2) If you find someone with suspicious symptoms of novel coronavirus, please ask them to leave.
(3) Public items and public contact items or parts should be cleaned and disinfected regularly.
(4) Keep air circulation in public places. Ensure that the air-conditioning system or exhaust fan operates normally, clean the air-conditioning filter regularly, and strengthen ventilation.
(5) The toilet should be equipped with sufficient hand soap, and ensure the normal operation of water supply facilities such as faucets.
(6) Keep the environment sanitary and clean, and clean up the garbage in time.
(7) In epidemic areas, you should avoid going to public places, especially places with dense crowds and poor air circulation.
11. How do citizens protect themselves when they seek medical treatment for other diseases?
(1) Theoretically, do not go to the hospital if not necessary, unless in urgent or critically ill that must seek medical treatment immediately. If you have to go to the doctor, you should choose the nearest medical institution that can meet the demand and with less outpatients; if you have to go to the hospital, you should only do the necessary and urgently needed medical examinations and medical operations, and other items and operations should be supplemented later; please avoid the fever clinic or emergency clinic if possible.
(2) If you have to go to the hospital, try to understand the medical institution online or by phone in advance, make appointment and preparation, familiarize with the layout of hospital departments and treatment procedures, and minimize the time to stay.
(3) On the way to the hospital and in the hospital, patients and accompanying family members should wear medical surgical masks or N95 masks throughout the process.
(4) Avoid taking public transportation to the hospital if possible.
(5) Keep hand clean all the time, and prepare portable hand sanitizers containing alcohol. Keep as much distance as possible (at least 1 meter) with others on the road and in the hospital.
(6) If the vehicle is contaminated, please disinfect all surfaces contaminated with respiratory secretions or body fluids with chlorine disinfectant and peracetic acid disinfectant.
(7) Try to avoid touching your mouth, eyes, and nose with your hands, and cover your mouth and nose with tissues or elbows when sneezing or coughing.
(8) Disinfect your hands with sanitizers after contacting hospital items such as hospital door handles, curtains, and doctor’s white gowns. Do not touch your mouth, eyes, or nose if you cannot disinfect your hands in time. Minimize your stay in hospital.
(9) After returning home, please change clothes immediately, wash hands carefully under running water, and wash clothes as soon as possible.
(10) If there are suspicious symptoms (including fever, cough, sore throat, chest tightness, dyspnea, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, conjunctivitis, sore muscles, etc.), please go to the hospital and tell doctor your activities in the past 2 weeks.
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