PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Health has issued additional instructions on strengthening the implementation of health measures to combat and prevent the spread of Covid-19, especially within the local community, by encouraging those who have been directly or indirectly in contact with Covid-19 patients to self-isolate, closely monitor their personal health and undergo rapid tests for early diagnosis and treatment. The Ministry also encourages those showing severe symptoms to avoid self-treating at home.
In the latest instruction released by the Ministry of Health on Sunday, 20 February, it states that Covid-19 patients with mild or no symptoms may undergo self-treatment at home with the necessary prescribed medication or antiviral drugs, such as the 200 mg tablets of Molnupiravir sold under the brand name Molnatris, with the recommended dose of four tablets per 12 hours for five consecutive days.
The Ministry has said Monupiravir should be taken as soon as possible after receiving a positive Covid-19 rapid antigen test result. This drug should, however, not be taken by those who are under the age of 18 and those who are currently pregnant or breastfeeding.
The Ministry further advises Covid-19 patients with mild to no symptoms to stay at home and undergo rapid testing for Covid-19 on day seven if no symptoms have been present for the last three days (during days five, six and seven). If patients get a negative rapid test result, they will be permitted to complete their treatment on your own at home. But if the test result is still positive on the seventh day, patients must continue conducting tests 48 hours apart until a negative test result is obtained.
Additionally, people who have been fully vaccinated do not need to continue their quarantine after successfully completing their treatment and obtaining a negative result. Those who have not been fully vaccinated yet must undergo quarantine for an additional seven days after completing treatment.
Most importantly, the Ministry stresses that Covid-19 patients exhibiting any form of severe symptoms, such as fatigue or shortness of breath, should not try and self-medicate at home and should instead seek timely hospital treatment to save their lives.
"Although a number of scientific studies have shown that the new Covid-19 Omicron variant is relatively mild, we must not overlook the possibility of a Covid-19 outbreak which might cause serious accidents or deaths," the Ministry states.
All positive test-takers must report their status to local authorities or a medical team, especially the director of the provincial health department where the individual lives, in order to properly conduct treatment procedures and monitor and prevent transmission to others.
The Ministry of Health urges people to continue adhering to the recommended health measures of the ‘3 Dos and 3 Don’ts’, to avoid gatherings in large numbers and keep all gatherings in general to a minimum.
