On March 27, 2022, in Jiaozuo, Henan, close contacts of Zhouliu Village in Xiuwu County took a bus to the centralized isolation point under the unified arrangement of the Xiuwu County Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters. (People’s Vision/Photo)
After 410 days, China’s new crown epidemic prevention and control plan has once again undergone major revisions.
At around 2 pm on June 28, 2022, the official website of the National Health Commission published the full text of the "Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Prevention and Control Plan (Ninth Edition)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Ninth Edition of the Plan"). Once the plan was announced, the catering, hotel, tourism and aviation sectors in Shanghai and Shenzhen performed well.
According to news from the official website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on June 29, the "star" mark on communication itinerary cards will be canceled from now on. The topic subsequently became a hot search on Weibo.
Compared with the eighth version of the plan officially released on May 14, 2021, the "Plan" (ninth version) has added new guidelines for the management of personnel who are positive in the initial screening of the new coronavirus nucleic acid test, the delineation and control plan of epidemic risk areas, and different Attached are three detailed rules including the nucleic acid detection strategy for the scenario.
"In the past month, the overall situation of my country's epidemic prevention and control has stabilized and improved. The number of positive infections has continued to decline, and the number of affected areas has also decreased, creating a window period for optimizing and adjusting the prevention and control plan." Regarding the prevention and control plan Revision background, Lei Zhenglong, deputy director of the National Health Commission's Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention and first-level inspector, said at the State Council Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism press conference held at 3 pm on the 28th.
Lei Zhenglong emphasized that all industries and departments should revise and improve their own prevention and control plans and guidelines in accordance with the requirements of the ninth edition of the prevention and control plan, clean up existing measures that are inconsistent with the ninth edition of the prevention and control plan, and guide all localities to take timely measures We must ensure the implementation and smooth connection of prevention and control measures and promote the implementation of the ninth version of the prevention and control plan.
In response to some places’ arbitrary quarantine and other restrictive measures against people from areas where the epidemic has occurred, such as Shanghai, Cheng Youquan, deputy director of the Supervision Bureau of the National Health Commission, said that relevant departments have also paid attention to this issue and required all relevant places to strictly follow the ninth The prevention and control plan should be corrected and rectified immediately.
It is not about relaxing prevention and control, but scientific and precise
Lei Zhenglong introduced that the comprehensive team of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council will conduct Dalian , Suzhou , Ningbo , Xiamen , during April-May 2022. Seven cities, including Qingdao, Guangzhou and Chengdu, carried out a month-long pilot study on optimizing the prevention and control measures for the new coronavirus epidemic.
"Research has found that the average incubation period of Omicron and mutant strains is shortened, mostly 2-4 days; most of them can be detected within 7 days. Currently, the dominant strains internationally and domestically are Omicron Rong variant. Based on research results and prevention and control practices in many places in China, the ninth version of the prevention and control plan has optimized the time limit and methods of isolation and control of people at risk related to the epidemic," said Wang Liping, a researcher at the Transmission Prevention and Control Department of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the requirements of the "Plan" (ninth edition), not only the isolation and control time for close contacts and immigrants has been shortened by half, but the nucleic acid testing measures have also been changed from "nucleic acid testing on days 1, 4, 7, and 14, and nasopharyngeal collection Swabs, double collection and double testing before release from isolation" were adjusted to "nucleic acid testing on days 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and the third day of home health monitoring, and collection of oropharyngeal swabs ". The adjustment of
does not mean the "relaxation" of prevention and control measures, but a reflection of precise prevention and control. “The ninth version of the prevention and control plan is an optimization and adjustment of prevention and control measures. It is by no means relaxing prevention and control, but has higher requirements. It requires more standardization, accuracy and speed to control the key risks that should be controlled and the key risks that should be controlled. What should be implemented must be implemented in place, and what should be canceled must be resolutely cancelled,” Lei Zhenglong emphasized.
In view of the characteristics of the Omicron variant that spreads faster and is more concealed, the "Plan" (ninth edition) further strengthens monitoring and early warning, requiring the frequency of nucleic acid testing for high-risk occupational groups to be increased; after the local epidemic occurs, purchase Personnel who use antipyretic, antitussive, antiviral, antibiotic, cold and other medicines must register with their real names; increase antigen testing in primary medical and health institutions as a supplementary means of epidemic monitoring, etc.
Unified Risk Area Delimitation Standards
In addition to the adjustment of the isolation policy for risk groups, closely related to the daily lives of ordinary people, there is also the issue of whether the itinerary code is "starred" - how to delineate medium and high-risk areas.
In the past, there were two types of risk zone delineation standards for areas where local epidemics occurred. One was the delineation standard for high, medium and low-risk areas, and the other was the delimitation standard for containment areas, control areas and prevention areas. The smallest medium-risk area can be as small as a 20-square-meter Shanghai milk tea shop, and the largest prevention area often covers the entire city, and the standards implemented in different places are not uniform.
"Plan" (ninth edition) has connected and matched the delineation standards and prevention and control measures of the two types of risk areas, integrated and unified the concepts of high, medium and low risk areas to form a new risk area delineation and management and control plan.
High-risk areas refer to the residences of cases and asymptomatic infected persons, , as well as work places, activity areas and other areas with frequent activities and high risk of epidemic spread. In principle, the community or village where one lives is used as the unit, and the "home-based, door-to-door service" sealing and control measures are adopted. If there are no new infections for 7 consecutive days, it can be reduced to a medium-risk area, and then there will be no new infections for 3 consecutive days. Those with increased infection can be reduced to a low-risk area. Personnel from high-risk areas with cross-regional spillover will be placed under centralized isolation and medical observation for 7 days. A nucleic acid test will be conducted on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 7th days of centralized isolation.
medium-risk areas refer to work places and activity areas where cases and asymptomatic infected persons stay and move for a certain period of time, and may have risks of epidemic spread. The scope is delimited based on the results of epidemiological surveys , and the "no people should go out" is adopted. Control measures such as "district and staggered peak pick-up". If there are no new infections for 7 consecutive days, it can be reduced to a low-risk area. Persons in medium-risk areas with cross-regional spillover will be subject to 7 days of home medical observation, and a nucleic acid test will be conducted on the 1st, 4th, and 7th day of the home medical observation period.
Low-risk areas refer to other areas in the counties (cities, districts, banners) where medium- and high-risk areas are located, where "personal protection and avoidance of gatherings" are implemented, and a 48-hour negative nucleic acid test certificate is required when leaving the city. People from low-risk areas who travel across regions do not need to take isolation control measures, but they are required to complete two nucleic acid tests within three days and conduct personal health monitoring. After all medium and high-risk areas are lifted, normalized prevention and control measures will be implemented throughout the county (city, district, banner).
Regarding the delineation of risk areas, the "Plan" (ninth edition) clearly states that risk areas should be scientifically delineated. The prefecture-level epidemic prevention and control command department will organize an expert group to delineate the risk areas according to the size of the epidemic spread risk. Risk zoning It is necessary to consider the protection, gathering and contact conditions of the people in the area, the tightness and ventilation conditions of the cases and related places, the length of time between investigation after the epidemic is discovered, etc.
("Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Prevention and Control Plan (Ninth Edition)"/Picture)
"The Ninth Edition Prevention and Control Plan also clearly stipulates that during the epidemic management process, if individual cases and asymptomatic infected persons have a negative impact on their place of residence and work, The risk of transmission in the local area and activity area is low, and close contacts have been controlled in a timely manner. After research and judgment, there is no risk of community transmission, so it is not necessary to delineate the risk area," Lei Zhenglong said when talking about the adjustment of the scope of risk areas.
There are rules and regulations for nucleic acid testing of all employees.
The introduction of the new version of the prevention and control plan also marks that the hotly discussed "how to define the scope and frequency of nucleic acid testing for all employees" will also be subject to regulations.
The "Plan" (ninth edition) clarifies regional nucleic acid testing strategies under different scenarios. For provincial capital cities, cities with a population of more than 10 million, general cities, and rural areas, it clarifies the start and end conditions for regional nucleic acid testing after the outbreak. and corresponding nucleic acid detection strategies.
Among them, in provincial capital cities and cities with a population of more than 10 million, when an epidemic occurs and there is a risk of spreading, after the area where the epidemic is located has no socially infected persons three times in three days, a nucleic acid test for all employees will be carried out three days apart to find that there are no socially infected persons. Nucleic acid testing can be carried out for all employees. In other areas where infected people move frequently and stay for a long time, based on flow surveys and judgments, a certain area can be designated to carry out nucleic acid testing for all employees. In principle, it should be done once a day and can be stopped after three consecutive times.In the event of widespread community transmission across regions, the command will be escalated, and the provincial joint epidemic prevention and control mechanism will decide whether to carry out nucleic acid testing for all employees in the city.
Generally, when the risk of epidemic spread is discovered in urban or rural areas, the urban area of the city where the epidemic is located, the natural villages affected by the epidemic, the seat of the township government and the county where the epidemic is located must conduct nucleic acid testing of all employees once a day, and there must be no public infection in three consecutive nucleic acid tests. After that, a nucleic acid test for all employees will be carried out three days apart, and nucleic acid testing for all employees without social infection can be carried out.
If the epidemic spreads to areas outside the city or affects multiple towns, it is necessary to expand the scope and carry out nucleic acid testing for all employees. In principle, it should be done once a day, and it can be stopped after three consecutive tests. How to manage
"Fuyang" personnel?
For "re-positive" personnel who have positive nucleic acid tests after being discharged from the hospital (cabin), the "Plan" (ninth edition) also clarifies the management details: if clinical symptoms such as fever and cough appear, or CT imaging shows that lung lesions have worsened, They should be immediately transferred to a designated medical institution for classified management and treatment according to their condition. The
Ct value is a key indicator for determining the positivity of a nucleic acid test, and is particularly important during the review process. Previously, Southern Weekend reporters discovered that the "Protocol" (seventh edition) stipulates that if the Ct value is <37,>
In the "Trial Ninth Edition" of the "Diagnosis and Treatment Plan for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia" released in March 2022, for mild cases, isolation and discharge can be lifted if the Ct value is ≥35 for two consecutive times. (For details, please refer to the "Southern Weekend" report on May 19, 2022 "Nucleic acid test "false positive"? Reviewing this indicator is critical")
This time, it is further clarified in the "Plan" (ninth edition). If the "re-positive" person does not show any symptoms or signs, and the nucleic acid test Ct value is ≥35, management and close contacts will no longer be determined; if the nucleic acid test Ct value
Southern Weekend reporter Cui Huiying
