The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has recently issued Decision 4156/QD-BYT dated August 28, 2021 on the promulgation of instructions for the home-based care of COVID-19 patients. According to these instructions, confirmed patients must receive proper care due to psychological stress that may be experienced after recovery from this highly contagious disease.

Specifically, COVID-19 patients may be experience fear over the health status of themselves and their family members, change in sleep routine, and face trouble sleeping or concentrating, loss of appetite, such chronic diseases as stomach-related ones and cardiovascular and mental illness turning aggravated.

In particular, older age groups infected with COVID-19 are at a higher risk of severe progression than other ones. Therefore, the elderly and their caregivers need to be fully aware of home-based care measures to monitor patients’ health and transfer them to hospital timely in case of emergencies.

Infected patients should pursue a nutritious, balanced, healthy diet including a variety of green vegetables with most of daily calories should come from 1,700 to 1,900 Kcal. It is necessary to eat 3 to 4 meals a day. If they don't eat enough, they are highly recommended to drink more nutritious milk, from 1 to 2 cups a day.

It is also important to strictly follow pathological dieting and use medication for existing diseases as prescribed by doctors.

Patients should strengthen physical activities in their isolation rooms or on the bed with rehabilitation exercises or massage which can be valuable to help them remain calm and continue to protect their health during this time.

According to the Ministry of Health's guidance, COVID-19 patients need to follow some key points as follow while waiting to be taken to the hospital:

- Must be cared for and prevented from spreading the virus to others.

- Must be monitored closely to detect all abnormalities.

- Make a phone call to local authorities’ medical staff, family health caregiver or prescribed helplines for any unusual symptoms.

- Bring existing medication to hospital for continued use and inform the doctor of underlying disease and current medication.

- Family members need to actively encourage and comfort the infected persons.

Reporting by T.V- Translating by T.VY