Vietnam’s Ministry of Health on March 26 issued a regimen for diagnosis and treatment of acute respiratory infections caused by the new coronavirus (SARS-Covid-2), Lao Dong newspaper reported.

This is a complete treatment regimen for Covid-19 patients, replacing previous diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines.

A doctor examines three-month-old baby with Covid-19 disease. Photo: Tuan Dung/Lao Dong

According to the regimen, the general principle of treatment for Covid-19 patients is to classify patients and determine the severity of suspected cases. Severe cases are subject for checkup, monitoring, isolation at health facilities and sample collection for diagnosis.

Those identified as patient should be completely isolated. Those showing minor sufferings such as upper respiratory tract infection and mild pneumonia are treated at regular inpatient treatment rooms.

More severe cases with severe pneumonia and sepsis would be treated in the emergency room of intensive care units.

Critical cases with severe respiratory failure, ARDS, septic shock, multi-organ failure would be referred to intensive care.

Due to the absence of specific treatment drugs for Covid-19 disease, supportive and symptomatic treatment is essential. Doctors would provide personalized treatment measures for each patient, especially serious cases. Some research therapies approved by the health ministry may be applied.

Doctors must also follow up to detect and promptly handle serious conditions and complications of the disease.