Green channels to provide medical services to those in need of them

The Tianjin Health Commission has told major hospitals and medical institutions to be ready to offer medical services to patients in need while sparing no efforts to curb the spread of novel coronavirus.

Liu Xianduo, the commission's deputy director, said major hospitals in the northern port city should carry out the first diagnosis responsibility, with accurate triage identification and effective emergency responses to critically and seriously ill patients.

Green channels will open to provide continuous medical services to pregnant women, newborns and critically and seriously ill patients and those who require hemodialysis, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Liu said at news conference on Thursday.

"Meanwhile, we will actively promote online medical services such as offering medical advice, pharmacist consultations, and diagnosis and treatment services to residents who have common and chronic diseases," he said.

Hospitals and medical institutions must implement the "people first and life first" principle, and no treatment of patients should be delayed due to abnormal nucleic acid testing results or health codes, Liu said.

"The emergency departments of hospitals will remain in normal 24-hour operation," he said.

Liu said Tianjin had recorded 126 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, and 22 local asymptomatic carriers, in the latest outbreak by 2 pm on Thursday.

Chai Shufang, deputy director of Tianjin's Xiqing district, said it has reserved more than 12,000 metric tons of grains, meats, vegetables, edible oil, milk, eggs and related non-staple foods－enough to supply residents for a month in communities sealed off for strict management.

"Now all households can assign a representative to go out to purchase meats, vegetables and daily necessities every two days," she said, adding that prices in local markets will be kept stable.

Meng Dongmei, deputy director of Tianjin's Hexi district, said all chess and card centers, cybercafes, libraries, fitness venues and related indoor public places have suspended operations.

She urged residents to go out less and encouraged working from home as the virus is still spreading in the district.

The Chinese mainland reported 190 confirmed COVID cases, including 124 locally transmitted ones, on Wednesday, the National Health Commission said on Thursday.

In Central China's Henan province, 76 locally transmitted confirmed cases were reported on Wednesday, the provincial health commission said on Thursday.

In Anyang, Henan, 17 new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 were found from 8 am Wednesday to 8 am Thursday. The city has reported a total of 140 confirmed cases since the first two cases were identified on Saturday, said Li Chao, deputy director of the city government office.

Two areas in Anyang－Yucai School in Tangyin county and Guxian town－were classified as high-risk areas for novel coronavirus infection on Wednesday. The city now has two high-risk areas and five medium-risk areas. It carried out its fourth round of citywide nucleic acid testing on Thursday.

Shanghai reported five local infections on Thursday, the municipal government announced. Three of them were asymptomatic cases. Authorities said that the cases were quarantined when they were found to have come into close contact with an imported case who tested positive for the virus on Tuesday.

Leading epidemic expert Zhang Wenhong said the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 spreads faster and in a more covert way than the previously dominant Delta variant but still possesses some level of lethality.

"Omicron still poses a high risk to public health globally and humans are currently at the most difficult time of our fight with it," he wrote in a post on the Sina Weibo social media platform.

Data has shown that vaccines are less effective against Omicron in terms of reducing infection, symptoms and hospitalized cases, he said.

"Meanwhile, there is evidence that shows that a booster shot can increase vaccine efficacy and maintain protection against severe cases," Zhang added.