Why is centralized isolation management implemented for mild illnesses? Expert explanation

Recently, the National Health Commission issued the “New Coronary Virus Pneumonia Diagnosis and Treatment Plan (Trial Version 9)”, pointing out that light cases are subject to centralized isolation management. What is this for?

Li Xingwang, chief expert of the Infectious Diseases Diagnosis and Research Center of Beijing Ditan Hospital, introduced that Omicron is now the main epidemic strain, and its epidemiological transmission is very secretive and has stronger transmission power, resulting in a short-term emergence of Lots of infected people. But clinically, these infected people have relatively mild symptoms.

“That is to say, more than 90% of the patients are very mild cases, showing some symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection. These patients do not need to be hospitalized.” Li Xingwang said that in the face of these patients, they do not need to be hospitalized. However, those who are also contagious should be managed centrally. If admitted to the hospital, it may cause a waste of medical resources, and the appearance of a large number of infected people will also cause a run on medical resources. Therefore, it is necessary to establish isolation points and medical staff to provide treatment and care. This is not only conducive to the recovery of the patient’s health, but also to the control of the spread of the disease.

Li Xingwang also said that infected people do not need to be isolated in a single room, but they cannot be isolated at the same time with people who are isolated at the isolation point, such as close contacts with negative nucleic acid tests, which will cause cross-infection. At the isolation point, there are good isolation facilities, and the staff are under closed-loop management. As long as personal protection and disinfection and isolation are done well, the infection will not spread. (Intern Li Jiayue also contributed to this article)