Interpretation of the Notice on Further Optimizing and Implementing the Prevention and Control Measures of COVID-19 Epidemic

CCTV News:Questions and Answers on the Notice on Further Optimizing the Implementation of COVID-19 Epidemic Prevention and Control Measures published by National Health Commission website.

　　1. What is the background of the announcement? What is the main content?

　　Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have always put people’s life safety and physical health in the first place. According to the characteristics of virus variation and the development situation of the epidemic, we have insisted on keeping the word steady and striving for progress, taking small steps without stopping, and optimizing and improving prevention and control measures according to the situation. Article 20 After the promulgation and implementation of the optimization measures, we closely followed the implementation effect in various places, combined with the useful experience accumulated in the recent epidemic response process in various places, and organized research and put forward ten targeted measures to further optimize the isolation of infected people and close contacts, nucleic acid detection and other measures. Further strengthen the requirements of "quick sealing and quick solution", vaccination, school prevention and control, epidemic-related safety guarantee, people’s medical treatment, medication and basic living guarantee, and maintenance of normal social operation in high-risk areas, continuously improve the scientific and accurate level of prevention and control, protect people’s life safety and health to the greatest extent, and minimize the impact of the epidemic on people’s production and living order and economic and social development.

　　2. What are the provisions of the Notice on the delineation of risk areas? For what reason?

　　The "Notice" requires that risk areas be scientifically and accurately divided, and high-risk areas should be defined according to buildings, units, floors and households, and should not be expanded to communities, communities and streets (towns) at will, so as to accurately determine risk areas through flow adjustment and further reduce the number of people under control. At the same time, it is required that all forms of temporary closure and control should not be taken, and "silent" management should not be taken at will. In the process of epidemic disposal, all localities should quickly control close contacts, and high-risk areas may not be designated without the risk of community transmission.

　　3. What further optimizations have been made to nucleic acid detection in the Notice? What are the considerations?

　　Nucleic acid testing should focus on areas and people with high risk of infection, and not carry out all-staff nucleic acid testing according to administrative areas, so as to further narrow the scope of nucleic acid testing and reduce the frequency. According to the needs of epidemic prevention work, antigen testing can be carried out. In accordance with the relevant provisions of Article 20 of the optimization measures, nucleic acid testing should be carried out for those who are in direct contact with entry personnel, articles and the environment, staff in centralized isolation places, medical staff in fever clinics of designated medical institutions and general medical institutions, and employees in high-risk positions with dense employees, frequent contacts and strong mobility, such as supermarkets, express delivery and take-away. Others are willing to do their best.

　　Considering that nursing homes, welfare homes, child care institutions, primary and secondary schools are places where special people such as the elderly and young children are concentrated, once the source of infection is introduced, it is easy to have a cluster epidemic and the risk of serious illness is high. Therefore, to enter nursing homes, welfare homes, child care institutions, primary and secondary schools, it is necessary to provide negative proof of nucleic acid detection to prevent the introduction of infectious sources. Medical institutions have a complex crowd, a large flow of people and a closed space. Once the source of infection is introduced, it is easy to cause the spread of the epidemic and nosocomial infection, which will affect the normal operation of medical institutions and the normal medical treatment of the people. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a negative certificate of nucleic acid test when entering a medical institution for treatment, but the medical institution shall not shirk and refuse to treat the critically ill patients because there is no negative certificate of nucleic acid test. Important organs, large enterprises and some specific places can determine their own prevention and control measures by the territory to ensure the normal operation of society and maintain the normal production and living order.

　　After the outbreak, all localities should assess the risk of epidemic situation in different regions according to the epidemic situation and flow investigation, determine the scope and frequency of nucleic acid detection by classification, and improve the quality and efficiency of nucleic acid screening.

　　Four, the "notice" on the isolation of infected people and close contacts have been adjusted, for what reasons?

　　The pathogenicity of Omicron mutant was obviously weakened. After clinical observation, most of the infected patients were asymptomatic and mild cases, and no special treatment was needed. Asymptomatic infected persons and light cases with home isolation conditions can be isolated at home, and health monitoring should be strengthened. If the condition worsens, they should be transferred to designated hospitals for treatment in time. Close contacts with home isolation conditions should be isolated at home for 5 days, strengthen the management of home isolation, do a good job in health monitoring and complete nucleic acid detection according to regulations. The adjustment of isolation methods for infected persons and close contacts fully embodies the principle that people first and life first is always adhered to in epidemic prevention and control in China, and the prevention and control measures are dynamically optimized and improved according to the characteristics of virus variation and the development situation of epidemic situation.

　　5. The Notice requires that high-risk areas should implement "quick sealing and quick solution". What is the consideration?

　　In accordance with the ninth edition of the prevention and control plan and the relevant requirements of the 20 optimization measures, after discovering infected people, we should delimit high-risk areas as soon as possible, investigate and control risk personnel, and block community communication in time to achieve "quick sealing and quick solution". If there are no high-risk areas with new infections for five consecutive days, it is necessary to unblock them in time to avoid long-term closure and reduce the inconvenience caused by the epidemic. If the newly infected people found in the high-risk area after the closure are the roommates, close contacts or their roommates of the people who strictly implement the home isolation management, there is no risk of community transmission outside the home after assessment, which will not affect the unsealing time of the high-risk area.

　　6. What measures does the Notice take to ensure the people’s basic demand for medicines?

　　All localities should ensure the normal operation of pharmacies, and may not shut down pharmacies at will. Do a good job in the supply and storage of conventional drugs, especially those related to patients with basic diseases. Smooth multi-channel drug purchase channels and distribution links, and do not restrict people from buying over-the-counter drugs such as fever, cough, virus and cold online and offline, and cancel the requirements of pop-up window and nucleic acid detection when purchasing the over-the-counter drugs. Take various measures to ensure the basic drug purchase needs of the masses, especially the elderly and patients with basic diseases.

　　7. Why should the elderly be vaccinated? How is it arranged to speed up the vaccination of the elderly?

　　At present, the situation of epidemic prevention and control is severe and complicated. Vaccination still has a good effect in preventing severe illness and death. Vulnerable people such as the elderly are easy to develop into severe illness, critical illness or even death after being infected with Covid-19, and vaccination with Covid-19 vaccine benefits the most. Therefore, it is necessary for the elderly to be vaccinated with Covid-19 vaccine in time. In order to speed up Covid-19 vaccination for the elderly, we have made arrangements from the following aspects: setting up green channels for the elderly, temporary vaccination sites, mobile vaccination vehicles and other measures, providing home vaccination services for the disabled and semi-disabled elderly, optimizing various convenience measures, getting through the "last 100 meters" of vaccination for the elderly, and providing maximum convenience for the elderly. Step by step to carry out training on judging vaccination contraindications, guide medical staff to scientifically judge vaccination contraindications, and eliminate vaccination doubts of the elderly. Refine popular science propaganda, mobilize all social forces to participate in mobilizing the elderly to vaccinate, and let the elderly vaccinate to protect their health is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

　　Eight, the "notice" mentioned for the key population and classified management, how to promote the work?

　　Mobilize various forces to participate, give full play to the role of neighborhood (village) committees and their public health committees and the professional advantages of urban and rural primary medical and health institutions, make full use of existing residents’ health information, and conduct a thorough survey of the health status of the elderly through health management services for the elderly and telephone, SMS and WeChat surveys. If the ledger has been established during the epidemic period, there is no need to collect it repeatedly, encourage the integration and sharing of information through information technology and determine the scope of key populations, and effectively reduce the burden on the grassroots. According to the health status, vaccination, the risk of infectious diseases, etc., the people who have been diagnosed are divided into key, sub-key and general groups, and the role of the "net bottom" of primary medical and health institutions and the "gatekeeper" of family doctors is played to provide corresponding health services by classification.

　　9. What are the considerations of the Notice for ensuring the normal operation of society and basic medical services, what requirements are put forward, and what problems should be paid attention to in implementation?

　　China is a country with a large population, with a large number of vulnerable people, unbalanced regional development and insufficient medical and health resources. At present, the epidemic situation in some areas is large, and the prevention and control situation is severe and complicated. Although the pathogenicity of Omicron mutant strain is obviously weakened, its transmission ability is obviously enhanced. If a large number of people who ensure the normal operation of society and basic medical services are infected in a short period of time, it will cause a shortage of manpower, which may have an impact on social operation and basic medical services.

　　In order to effectively coordinate the prevention and control of the epidemic situation and economic and social development, and ensure the normal operation of society and basic medical services during the epidemic period, the Notice requires that non-high-risk areas shall not restrict the flow of personnel, and shall not stop work, production or business; Medical personnel, public security, transportation and logistics, supermarkets, power supply, water, electricity and heating, and other personnel who ensure basic medical services and normal social operation are included in the "white list" management. Relevant personnel should pay attention to personal protection, vaccination and health monitoring every day, reduce contact with the society, work as "two points and one line" as much as possible, and can go to work normally with negative proof of nucleic acid test; When positive results are detected, close contacts shall be accurately determined, and the workplace shall not be temporarily sealed and controlled, and the workplace personnel shall not be isolated in a wide range, so as to ensure normal medical services and the supply of basic living materials, water, electricity and heating, and try their best to maintain normal production and work order, solve the urgent and anxious problems raised by the masses in time, and effectively meet the basic living needs of the masses during the epidemic handling.

　　X. What are the provisions of the Notice on strengthening the safety and security of epidemic-related diseases?

　　In order to strengthen risk prevention in epidemic prevention and control and ensure the safety of people’s lives and property, the Notice requires that it is strictly forbidden to block fire exits, unit doors and community doors in various ways to ensure that people can go out for medical treatment and emergency avoidance. While controlling risk personnel, it is necessary to strengthen door-to-door service and do a good job in life and normal medical care. Promote the establishment of a docking mechanism between communities and specialized medical institutions to provide medical convenience for elderly people living alone, minors, pregnant women, disabled people and patients with chronic diseases. Strengthen the care and psychological counseling for the control personnel, patients and front-line staff, provide psychological assistance hotline, and carry out psychological support services.

　　XI. What further optimizations have been made in the Notice for the prevention and control of epidemic situation in schools? What are the considerations?

　　Schools are key places with dense personnel. It is an important task to protect the health of teachers and students to the greatest extent and maintain the normal education and teaching order to the greatest extent. According to the current epidemic situation and the actual situation of the school, in order to guide the school to prevent and control more scientifically and accurately, the Notice clearly requires kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and other special places to check the negative certificate of nucleic acid detection and health code. At the same time, all local schools are required to resolutely implement the requirements of scientific and accurate prevention and control. Schools without epidemics should carry out normal offline teaching activities, and supermarkets, canteens, stadiums and libraries in schools should be opened normally. Schools with epidemics should scientifically and accurately define risk areas, and normal teaching and living order should be ensured outside the risk areas. All localities and relevant departments should attach great importance to the prevention and control of epidemic situation in schools, improve the coordination mechanism between schools and localities, and further optimize prevention and control measures according to the characteristics of schools at all levels to ensure the health of teachers and students and campus safety.