The prefecture-level city of Lishui – located in in East China's Zhejiang province – recently issued a series of instructions on strengthening its medical treatment and security to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

They are as follows:  

First, simplify the nucleic acid testing and verification process. People are not encouraged to do nucleic acid testing unless necessary. Lishui city is gradually cancelling the mixed testing and is using single testing instead.

Keep the existing nucleic acid sampling sites unchanged, with the same size and times. Party and government organs, enterprises and institutions and medical institutions (other than inpatients and escorts) will no longer check the nucleic acid results.

Second, provide medical treatment. All 22 public hospitals have set up 24-hour fever clinics and 171 primary medical institutions have set up fever clinics. Some 46 mobile touring medical vehicles are carrying out fever touring medical services.

The city is providing 2,289 beds in designated hospitals, including 1,400 beds at the municipal level and 1,247 have been completed. A raft of patient rooms are being built and these are expected to be completed by the end of December. The city has transformed its health posts into centralized intake sites and all sites have begun to treat patients with asymptomatic, mild infections.

The treatment capacity for serious patients is being improved. AAA hospitals have 157 ICU beds and 232 convertible ICU beds. Some 286 physicians and 858 nurses have been trained for the treatment of severe and critical illnesses from the epidemic.

Third, optimize the medical treatment process. It is suggested that mild and asymptomatic patients recover in isolation at home. Intensive and critically ill patients are being centrally admitted to municipal designated hospitals. In addition, people can choose online consultations as many hospitals have provided online access.

Fourth, enhance vaccinations. Seniors over 60 are encouraged to receive the epidemic vaccine, especially those over 80 and who have underlying diseases. For them, the vaccination can reduce the incidence of serious or even critical illness and death. What's more, people over 18 are encouraged to complete the second dose booster vaccination.