(VOVWORLD) - Thousands of doctors and health workers have been working overtime to slow the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic. 16 cases have been confirmed in Vietnam so far and 7 of them have been cured and discharged from hospital.
 A person is instructed how to wear a face mask properly against Covid-19. (Photo: VNA) |
Quang Ninh province which borders China has deployed measures to fight the Covid-19 epidemic.
Doctor Nguyen Thi Phuong of the provincial International Health Quarantine Center said these days she and her colleagues are facing an acute risk from individuals returning from the epicenter of the deadly virus outbreak.
“As frontline soldiers in the fight against Covid-19, we have quarantined ourselves from our family members. I’m staying in another place to minimize the risk of infection and protect my family, friends, and colleagues. I can do nothing else because this is the profession I have chosen,” said Phuong.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, another doctor at the center, said: “Although I have to work from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., I’m not tired at all. All is for the community. I feel proud to be part of the frontline efforts to combat the epidemic. We have carefully checked every arriving person to protect the health of other people.”
Binh Xuyen district’s medical center in the northern province of Vinh Phuc, the center of the Covid-19 epidemic in Vietnam, has deployed preventive measures, established quarantine areas, and is treating Covid-19 patients.
“We have to work round the clock. The work pressure has increased greatly compared to the treatment of other diseases. But we are putting our own lives on the line for the community to win the battle against the novel coronavirus,” said a Binh Xuyen health worker.
“We have decided that, having chosen this career, we shouldn’t shy away from a contagious disease, even during a dangerous epidemic,” said another health worker.
Nurses and healthcare workers have the closest and most frequent contact with Covid-19 patients.
Nguyen Thi Huong, a healthcare worker at the Binh Xuyen district medical center, said: “The moral of the patients is primary. Every day we make the patients feel safe so they’ll eat and drink to keep up their strength to combat the virus. First and foremost we must encourage the patients. Medical equipment and hospital waste are carefully handled. Dishes, cups, and chopsticks used by the patients are sanitized. Nurses and healthcare workers work closely with each other.”
The Binh Xuyen medical center was the first district-level medical facility in Vietnam to treat Covid-19 patients. On-the-spot treatment and avoiding moving patients to central hospitals unless absolutely necessary has helped to minimize the spread of the disease.