Asymptomatic positive coronavirus patients will be discharged after 10 days, followed by 4 self-isolation days

Asymptomatic patients who are positive in the control test can be discharged after 10 days, if the doctor responsible considers it opportune on the basis of clinical criteria, with the condition of self-isolation at home until the 14 days of the isolation period expire, term that starts at the moment of admittance (4 days after discharge), an order of the Health Minister, Nelu Tataru, shows.

Tataru thus approved the proposal of the clinical and epidemiological management commission for the COVID infection of the Health Ministry regarding the modification of discharge criteria for patients with COVID-19.

According to the quoted source, the asymptomatic patients with risk factors, as well as the symptomatic patients with mild forms will be admitted to phase 2 or support hospitals. They will be able to be discharged after a minimum of 10 days since admittance if they have a lack of fever and their symptoms ameliorate, for at least 72 hours. The control test will be conducted in day 8 since admittance.

Furthermore, asymptomatic patients who are negative in the control test will be able to be discharged after 10 days, without self-isolation being necessary.

"The new criteria for discharge were based on the recommendations of the WHO and ECDP [European Center for Disease Prevention], which do not place as a condition for discharge of patients with good clinical status two successive negative tests for samples taken 24 hours apart. There are reports that emphasize that the patients can remain positive in RT-PCR tests for weeks or even alternate a positive result after days/weeks after a negative result, the preliminary evidence suggesting that the patient is no longer infectious," the Health Ministry mentions.