The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Saturday issued revised discharge policy for COVID-19 patients.
Mild/very mild/pre-symptomatic cases
As per the Ministry, very mild, mild and pre-symptomatic cases can be discharged after 10 days of symptom onset and no fever for three days.
There will be no need for testing prior to discharge. At the time of discharge, the patient will be advised to follow the home isolation for further 7 days as per the guidelines issued by the Ministry.
Moderate
a. If the fever resolves within 3 days in moderate cases and the patient maintains saturation above 95% for the next 4 days (without oxygen support), such patient will be discharged after 10 days of symptom onset in case of absence of fever without antipyretics, resolution of breathlessness and no oxygen requirement, it mentioned.
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b. Patients on oxygenation whose fever does not resolve within 3 days and demand of oxygen therapy continue, such patients will be discharged only after resolution of clinical symptoms and their ability to maintain oxygen saturation for 3 consecutive days.
Severe
Those with severe symptoms will be “discharged only after clinical recovery” and “after testing negative once by RT-PCR (after resolution of symptoms)”, according to the new guidelines. Earlier, the patient had to test negative twice for COVID-19 before being discharged.