Chinese medics assist with Covid diagnosis 
 
A team of Chinese medical workers, along with medical materials, arrived in Laos on February 7 to support the country’s efforts to overcome the Covid-19 virus. 
The Chinese team will teach nurses and doctors about correct diagnosis of the virus, hoping to put an end to complaints by travellers about incorrect diagnoses made in Laos, which were revealed upon entering China.

Deputy Minister of Health Dr Phayvanh Keopaseuth, together with senior ministry officials and Chinese embassy staff, welcomed the Chinese medical team.
Problems have arisen after some people who underwent mandatory testing for Covid-19 and got a negative result subsequently tested positive when they travelled to China. 
The Chinese medics say they will provide training for Lao staff at the National Centre for Laboratory and Epidemiology (NCLE), to ensure they are able to conduct accurate tests. This would solve a serious problem and boost public confidence in efforts to bring an end to the Covid-19 outbreak.
The Chinese team will visit the NCLE, run by the Ministry of Health, to evaluate the way that staff diagnose the samples they are given for testing.
The NCLE is responsible for testing samples taken from people arriving in Laos, as well as diagnosing suspected case of the virus among the general population.
With the Covid-19 outbreak in Laos continuing, the government is keen to ensure that people are confident about the steps it is taking to win the war against the virus, of which correct diagnosis is a major part.
The Chinese specialists have travelled far and worked hard to help solve problems in Laos and have made valuable suggestions. They have set an example of Laos-China cooperation in the fight against the virus and served as envoys of the friendship between the two countries.
Since April 2020, Lao health authorities have been coordinating closely with their counterparts in China, who have experience in containing the virus and treating patients.
In Lao hospitals, doctors and nurses are divided into teams to take care of patients on a seven-day rotation. After one week on duty, each team is placed in quarantine and monitored for 14 days to check that they are not infected and will not spread the virus.
A Chinese medical team who visited Laos last year worked with local doctors and shared valuable lessons in dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak and the treatment of patients in China.

By Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth
(Latest Update February 9, 2021)