East China county cares for the vulnerable in COVID-19 combat

HEFEI -- Despite some anxiety caused by the latest COVID-19 resurgence, Yang Kun, 26, has a good reason to remain upbeat as he and his wife welcomed their son to the world on Tuesday in Sixian County, east China's Anhui province.

"The ambulance came to my home in about 20 minutes after we called the hospital Tuesday morning. Everything was smooth during the process," said Yang's wife Zhang Yin, who gave birth to a baby weighing 3.7 kg Tuesday night at the maternity and childcare hospital in Sixian.

From June 26 to July 7, a total of 323 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,258 asymptomatic carriers had been logged in Anhui, of which 310 confirmed cases were in Sixian.

A total of about 130 staff members are living in the Sixian maternity and childcare hospital in the latest COVID-19 resurgence, according to Liu Feiyu, vice president of the hospital.

"About seven women give birth in the hospital every day, about the same level as at normal times. The food is sent to the wards by our staff to reduce the risk of cross-infection," Liu said, adding that 68 babies have been delivered in the hospital since June 26.

For those pregnant women who cannot come to the hospital due to restrictions in movement, doctors will provide door-to-door services to them, such as sending them medicine or taking them to the hospital for prenatal examinations.

"We are scheduled to return home tomorrow. I'm grateful for the timely and professional service provided by the hospital in this special time," said Yang, who cannot wait to share the joy with his relatives.

Meanwhile, Sixian has been making every effort to ensure the smooth delivery of supplies and that the needs of its 760,000-plus residents, particularly the vulnerable groups, are met in a timely and orderly manner.

"Community workers have delivered daily supplies to my home many times including rice, vegetables, and instant noodles. They are taking good care of me," said Cao Peikun, 82, who lives by himself.

The community where Cao lives made a list of the vulnerable people after a thorough investigation. There are 55 households that need extra attention in the community, including the elderly living alone, the disabled, and those who are seriously ill, according to Hu Qiang, a community staff member responsible for taking care of Cao these days.

"We often call them to see what they need. There are also people that help with their daily life. We always think of them first when handing out donated supplies," Hu said.

During the latest 10th round of county-wide nucleic acid testing, Sixian found no COVID-19 infections at the community level for the first time since June 26, local authorities said Friday.