When can COVID patient

be declared ‘recovered?’

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Nov 5 (PIA) –So how does the health authorities determine if a patient with the coronavirus disease has recovered and can be discharged?

According to the Discharge and Recovery Criteria issued by the Department of Health (DOH), based on the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), a patient can be declared recovered and for discharge when he has gone past 10 days since the first day the symptoms for COVD manifested.

Moreover, the patient must not have any fever in the last three days and has not exhibited any COVID symptoms or his physical condition has significantly improved.

But in the Philippines, to be certain, health authorities decided to extend the term to 14 days since the symptoms of COVID manifested in the patient to be sure that the patient has recovered.

For the symptomatic patients, a proficient evaluation by a competent physician declaring him as clinically recovered coupled with zero COVID-19 symptoms in at least three days, and has completed at least 14 days of self-isolation in the home, temporary treatment and monitoring facility or hospital could be a criteria for discharge.

For asymptomatic patients but have tested positive by Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), he can be discharged after 14 days of self-isolation at home or TTMF or at the hospital, remained asymptomatic in the last 14 days and has been evaluated by a competent doctor who declares him clinically recovered.

According to the DOH, there is already no need for a repeat testing before the ‘recovered’ declaration, since under the expanded testing protocols, the RT-PCR can pinpoint the virus as well as it can also see the minute traces of the dead virus and their parts in the patient’s body, and in the most recent WHO and CDC studies, the virus can only be contagious as the time before the patient exhibits symptoms or until the body manifests symptoms.

On the seventh day that the virus remains in the body, it has a significantly reduced chances of getting contagious and would be totally harmless after the tenth or more days.

For this reason, the Philippines opted to impose the 14 days of self-isolation to be sure that the patient has no chances of passing the virus to others, DOH said.

Consequently, the need for a repeat testing for suspected, probable or confirmed COVID-19 cases can yield positive results still in the RT-PCR but it does not mean that they can still transmit the virus, stressed the health authorities in the department. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)