HCM City pilots home quarantine for asymptomatic F0 cases

The Ministry of Health has approved Ho Chi Minh City’s proposal to isolate asymptomatic F0 cases at home on a trial basis amidst a surge in the number of coronavirus infections in Vietnam’s largest and most populous city.

Delivering fresh vegetables to people in lockdown areas in HCM City

The pilot scheme applies to all asymptomatic F0 cases who are receiving treatment in hospital.

If a patient has a negative RT-PCR test result on day 10, or a positive test result but with low viral load and inability to infect others, he will be transferred to home for self-isolation, providing all safety and infection prevention conditions are met.

The patient will continue to have RT-PCR tests at home on subsequent days 14 and 21.

The pilot scheme also applies to healthcare workers who are infected with the virus without clear symptoms.

The patients are required to self-monitor their health status, report to the healthcare agency every day and do COVID-19 tests as prescribed.

They must be closely monitored by health authorities in the locality and in the workplace. They are also required to strictly observe safety measures regarding infection prevention and control.

In case the patients show virus like symptoms, they must be immediately transferred to hospital for medical surveillance and treatment.

Currently HCM City is the largest coronavirus hotspot in Vietnam, recording close to 2,000 new cases a day during the past few days.

Data from the Ministry of Health show the city has documented more than 16,000 cases since the resurgence of the virus two and a half months ago.