TCM included in Laotian COVID-19 treatment plan

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapies and preparations have been included in the second and latest version of diagnosis and treatment plan for COVID-19 in Laos, according to a Chinese medical expert.

Du Yibin, the chief physician at the Yunnan Provincial Hospital of TCM and a member of a Chinese team of medical experts sent to help Laos fight the epidemic, said Wednesday that several TCM preparations were successfully applied to clinical operations in Laos.

"Most patients in Laos only had mild symptoms, and TCM worked in controlling the disease and preventing mild patients from turning into severe ones," Du said.

He also noted that two COVID-19 patients in Laos had been discharged from hospital after receiving a combined therapy of Chinese and Western medicines.

The 12-membered Chinese medical team left southwest China's Yunnan Province for Laos on March 29 and shared experience in COVID-19 prevention and treatment with their Laotian peers in Vientiane and provinces of Champasak and Luang Prabang.

The experts returned to Kunming, capital of Yunnan, on April 12 and are currently under concentrated quarantine. Du said he will keep in contact with experts from designated hospitals in Laos through WeChat and offer remote guidance.

Editor: John Li