Only Severe Covid-19 Patients To Be Tested Before Discharge From Hospital: Centre Revises Policy

The Union Health Ministry has issued a revised discharge policy that states that testing will be done only for severe cases on discharge from corona care facilities.

There will be no need for testing prior to discharge. (Image: PTI)

New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry has issued a revised discharge policy for coronavirus patients and it has made it mandatory for testing for only severe cases on discharge from corona care facilities. According to new regulations, mild and moderate patients can be discharged without any COVID-19 tests. The new regulations are ‘aligned with the guidelines on the 3 tier COVID facilities and the categorization of the patients is based on clinical severity’ According to the revised regulations:

• For mild to very mild and pre-symptomatic cases regular temperature and pulse oximetry monitoring will be done. The patient can be discharged after 10 days of symptom onset and if there is no fever for 3 days. There will be no need for testing prior to discharge. Further guidelines are also provided in case the symptoms of such patients become worse.
• For moderate cases, body temperature and oxygen saturation will be monitored. The guidelines say that ‘If the fever resolve within 3 days and the patient maintain saturation above 95% for the next 4 days (without oxygen support), such patient will be discharged after 10 days of symptom onset’. This is will only be done if the patient does not have a fever, need no oxygen support and there is no breathlessness. For such patients there will be no need for testing prior to discharge.
• In the case of severe cases including those who are immunocompromised (HIV patients, transplant recipients, malignancy) discharge will be based on clinical recovery and if the patient tests negative once by RT-PCR (after the resolution of symptoms).

In March the Health Ministry had issued that patients will be discharged only after two specimens from the patient test negative within a period of 24 hours and if they also show no symptoms.