Better medical care

Feng Jiaqian, who works for the Yangqiao village committee, said she would continue to voluntarily help villagers in lockdown, especially the elderly with chronic diseases, by buying and delivering medicines for them.

"Residents can call to tell us what drugs they want, and then I'll try my best to meet their demands according to the list of medicines provided by health officials," she said.

Feng said that when the latest COVID-19 cases emerged in Shanghai in March, "it took me much more time to get medication, as insufficient supplies at hospitals couldn't match the sudden rise in demand. Sometimes it took me a whole day to help villagers locate medicines.

"It's the first time I have done such work, so I could accept complaints from some residents when I bought the wrong dosage of medicines for them, even though I initially felt a little aggrieved and upset," she said.

"The job has also helped me understand more about our villagers and their health conditions," she added. "I'm exhausted after locating and buying drugs every day, but when someone thanks me, I immediately cheer up."

Beicai Community Health Service Center, the only public hospital in the densely populated town, has also made great efforts to provide nucleic acid sampling and medical services in recent weeks.

To offer more convenience for residents and improve work efficiency, Song Huijiang, dean of the center, said a plan is being considered to set up some 70 sites across the town for the provision of nucleic acid test samples.

He said that this month the center started to vaccinate people age 60 and older in Beicai to ensure their health safety. More medical services are also being provided for women and children.

"We will reopen outpatient departments step by step," Song said, adding that services at ophthalmology, stomatology and dermatology divisions, where doctors and patients need to be in close contact, would resume later.

Although the soaring numbers of positive cases in Beicai have been controlled under the series of measures taken, the official from the anti-epidemic team said, "More efforts should be made to consolidate this achievement, as the battle against the latest wave of COVID-19 in the town is ongoing."