New Year's Day and the Spring Festival are coming, and the vast rural areas will welcome the tide of returning home. After the implementation of "Class B and Class B management" for COVID-19 infection, how can epidemic prevention and control and medical treatment be guaranteed in rural areas with relatively weak medical resources? Jiao Yahui, Director of the Department of Medical Affairs of the National Health Commission, said at the press conference of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council that rural areas are the key areas for epidemic prevention and control in the new stage. At present, relevant measures have been introduced to strengthen rural epidemic prevention and control and health services. In particular, deployment and arrangements have been made for the "two festivals" period. Liang Wannian, the leader of the expert group of the leading group for epidemic response and disposal of the National Health Commission, pointed out that due to the different mobility, population density and population immunity levels of people in different regions, the time when epidemic peaks will be ushered in will be different. In the coming period of time, all regions will face the pressure of epidemic situation and medical treatment. In this regard, we should not let it go. Instead, we should prevent and control it more accurately and scientifically. We should place more importance on critical care, ensuring daily medical and health needs, and preventing medical resource runs. We should also place more emphasis on prevention, control and treatment capacity building in rural areas. "In fact, two key measures are the most important to do a good job in rural epidemic prevention and control." Jiao Yahui said, on the one hand, drugs should be able to go down and be delivered to the end. In addition to counties and townships, village clinics can also be fully equipped with drugs. On the other hand, severe cases can be transferred. After finding severe patients in rural areas, they can be transferred out in time and sent to medical institutions with treatment capacity. How to achieve these two points? Jiao Yahui said that these measures mainly include four aspects: First, in rural areas, the county medical community should be arranged in a grid way with the county as the unit. The county, township and village should play their respective roles and bring the elderly with complications, children and other high-risk groups into the management of the medical community. Second, give full play to the role of the established urban and rural counterpart support mechanism, establish a twinning relationship between urban hospitals above the second level and county hospitals, and carry out zoning package. In case of the need for severe treatment, give play to the role of the two-level referral mechanism between the city and county. Third, give full play to the role of grassroots medical and health institutions. Township health centers and village clinics will manage high-risk people, find out their health status, and implement health management according to different health risk levels. Once the condition changes, they will be referred in time. Fourth, carry out graded diagnosis and treatment and classified treatment, especially for severe patients, they should be immediately transferred to medical institutions with corresponding treatment capabilities. "If patients do not meet the conditions for referral, we require urban support hospitals to guide medical treatment through remote or expert guidance." Jiao Yahui said that at present, support hospitals around the country have been required to send staff to the county hospital for guidance during the "two festivals". It also requires all regions to organize itinerant medical teams to increase the inspection tour in rural areas during the "Two Festivals", find high-risk people in time, and take appropriate interventions as soon as possible. (Outlook New Times)