THOUSANDS of doctors in Vietnam are now offering Covid-19 diagnoses and online support for Covid-19 patients and their close contacts at home.
Vietnam Young Physicians Association said it planned to mobilise around 2,500 medical workers from all over the country to join a growing network offering the online services as many patients were either in self-isolation or unable to visit medical facilities.
According to the Vn Express, the online network would provide Covid-19 screening, risk assessment and counselling services.
Le Tuan Thanh, who manages the network, said doctors will also be able to give out appropriate advice and recommendations to each individual.
Covid-19 patients and their close contacts, who are yet to go to medical centres for proper diagnoses, are among the most vulnerable due to uncertainties about their conditions.
Thanh said if their health deteriorated and they were unable to receive medical attention, the patients can develop anxiety and even paranoia could set in.
By offering help to them, the burden on the healthcare system could be relieved, he added.
On Monday, the network had about 1,450 volunteers, comprising doctors, nurses, pharmacists and psychiatrists working in localities that have not been severely impacted by Covid-19.
According to the Express, local Centers for Disease Control (CDCs) and Covid-19 hotlines would feed all information about Covid-19 cases and their close contacts to a common database.
This would then be shared among the network doctors while maintaining patient anonymity.
Doctors would then assess each case via a phone call and based on the information received, they would classify each individual on a scale from zero to four.
Zero and one would comprise asymptomatic and mild cases, while four would indicate those at highest risks of severe symptoms or even death.
The mildest cases could be monitored through the phone, while the most severe cases would be referred to local medical centres to be brought to hospital.
The online network started after a week of preparation and initial surveys revealed its demand was high among close contacts of Covid-19 patients.
The online network is expected to be officially launched on Wednesday night.
A similar hotline was created in Ho Chi Minh City last week.
Its information and health departments created a hotline so that people can receive advice and recommendations from health experts regarding the coronavirus.
Ho Chi Minh City is the worst hit area in Vietnam with thousands of cases being reported daily and the city remains under a strict lockdown.
Official statistics from the city's Department of Health revealed asymptomatic and mild Covid-19 cases accounted for around 80 per cent of all infections.
The southern metropolis has recorded close to 73,000 cases in the fourth Covid-19 wave that started in late April.
Vietnam confirmed a total of 7,911 cases on Tuesday.
Ho Chi Minh City reported 4,469, followed by its neighbouring provinces of Dong Nai (120), Long An (75) and Binh Duong (79).
Ho Chi Minh City has now recorded a total of 72,740 cases, followed by Binh Duong province with 8,909 in the ongoing wave.
Vietnam has recorded a total of 114,204 cases since the pandemic started, with 110,436 infections in the current wave.