Govt issues fresh guidelines for discharge of coronavirus patients

The ministry circular states there will be no coronavirus testing at Covid-19 facilities prior to discharge, and the patients will be advised to follow home isolation for seven days

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Friday issued revised guidelines on discharge of coronavirus (Covid-19) patients. In mild and pre-symptomatic cases, hospitals can discharge patients only after 10 days of symptom onset and there is no fever for three days, according to the new guidelines.

Moreover, the circular also states that there will be no coronavirus testing at Covid-19 facilities prior to discharge, and patients will be advised to follow home isolation for seven days. The policy is aligned with the guidelines on the three-tier Covid-19 facilities and the categorisation of patients based on clinical severity.

In moderate Covid-19 cases, patients will undergo monitoring of body temperature and oxygen saturation. If the fever resolves within three days, and the patient maintains saturation above 95 per cent for the next four days without oxygen support, such patients will be discharged after 10 days of symptom onset in case of:

• Absence of fever without antipyretics
• Resolution of breathlessness
• No oxygen requirement

But in case the oxygen saturation dips below 95 per cent before discharge, the patient will be moved to a Dedicated Covid-19 Health Centre (DCHC).

"After discharge from the facility, if the patient again develops symptoms of fever, cough or breathing difficulty, the patent has been advised to contact the Covid-19 care centre or state helpline as the patient's health will again be followed up through teleconference on 14th day," the policy stated.

For patients with severe cases, the discharge criteria will be based on clinical recovery, and if patient tests negative once by RT-PCR after resolution of symptoms.

The total number of coronavirus cases in India has surged to 59,765 and death toll stands at 1,986.

Read details of the discharge policy here