The Operation And Response of The Communicable Disease Control Medical Network for The COVID-19 Pandemic

The Operation And Response of The Communicable Disease Control Medical Network for The COVID-19 Pandemic

The Communicable Disease Control Medical Network (CDCMN), established in 2003 after the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Taiwan, has undergone several phases of modifications in infrastructure and activation. In December 2019, a previously unidentified coronavirus infection currently named as the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) resulted in a global pandemic. Taiwan discovered its first confirmed imported case on January 21, 2020. Later, the CDCMN Response hospitals began to receive and treat COVID-19 patients, gradually strengthen the hospital operation and response system, and expand designated wards in accordance with the instructions of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) to increase the medical capacity for COVID-19 patients. In May 2021, there was a surge of community outbreak in the Taipei region. To properly handle the patients, the 23 response /isolation hospitals participated according to the guidance from CECC, spared and designated wards for COVID-19 patients quickly. In addition, according to the triage and admission plan for COVID-19 patients, the response hospitals re-planned and rehearsed the 4-stage clearance process and patients/critically ill patients transfer across counties and cities to increase the admission capacity for patients. Based on the experience of this outbreak, the CDCMN will continue to strengthen the transfer mechanism for joint prevention and transporting patients (including acute and severe patients) among counties and cities, to promote cross-unit cooperation, and to ensure that CDCMN plays a pivotal role in the pandemic.