A patient with post-COVID complications being treated at the Lê Văn Thịnh Hospital in Thủ Đức City in HCM City. Photo nld.com.vn

HCM CITY — Caring for people with post-COVID conditions is one of the key tasks for the healthcare sector this year, HCM City authorities have said.

Nearly 2 per cent of the country’s population has been infected, Nguyễn Anh Dũng, deputy director of the city Department of Health, told a meeting held on Wednesday to review last year’s performance and set goals for 2022.

The city had had more than 500,000 infections, including 300,000 recovering.

Many recovered patients suffered from post-COVID conditions and needed treatment, which posed a huge challenge.

The healthcare sector would develop a three-level management protocol for this.

At the first level, health facilities would treat patients with mild complications.

At the second, district-level hospitals would take in and treat patients with slightly more serious conditions.

Patients with severe complications would be sent to specialised and general hospitals.

Not only older people with severe COVID-19 but also younger ones aged 30-40 with mild symptoms experienced post-COVID conditions.

More than 510 patients or half the total number with post-COVID conditions visiting the Nhân Dân Gia Định Hospital in HCM City between December 1 and January 10 had long-term breathing problems.

Other lasting effects included mental disorders from which 182 people suffered, heart complications (134), endocrine issues (80), and gastrointestinal problems (66).

Dương Anh Đức, deputy chairman of the city People’s Committee, agreed that care for patients with post-COVID complications should be the top task this year.

The city would speed up booster shots for people aged 18 and above from now through Tết (the Lunar New Year), he said.

People aged 50 and above, medical workers and frontline COVID personnel would continue to get priority in the fight against the pandemic and public healthcare, he added. —VNS