Table 1. Location of observation or treatment and ending isolation criteria for confirmed COVID-19 cases in different countries.
| Country | Location of observation or treatment | Ending isolation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Korea4 | COVID-19 health facility, residential treatment center (decision based on the patient's severity category) | [Discharge from isolation criteria for confirmed symptomatic patients] | ||
| Must meet one of the following conditions: | ||||
| 1) Clinical progress: 10 days have passed since onset of illness and afebrile for at least 72 hours, plus both of the following criteria must be met: | ||||
| ① No fever without antipyretic | ||||
| ② Improvement of clinical symptoms | ||||
| 2) Laboratory tests: 7 days have passed since onset of illness, and no fever without antipyretic and improvement of clinical symptoms, and afterwards, two consecutive negative PCR test results at least 24 hours apart | ||||
| [Discharge from isolation criteria for confirmed asymptomatic patients] | ||||
| Must meet one of the following conditions: | ||||
| 1) Clinical progress: 10 days have passed since the case was confirmed, and no clinical symptoms during this period | ||||
| 2) Laboratory tests: 7 days have passed since the case was confirmed, and two consecutive negative PCR test results (after the 7 days) at least 24 hours apart | ||||
| WHO5 | COVID-19 health facility, community facility or at home (self-isolation) | For symptomatic patients: 10 days after symptom onset, plus at least 3 days without symptoms (without fever and respiratory symptoms). | ||
| The decision of location should be made on a case-by-case basis and will depend on the clinical presentation, requirement for supportive care, potential risk factors for severe disease, and conditions at home, including the presence of vulnerable persons in the household. | For asymptomatic patients: 10 days after test positive. | |||
| USA6,7,8 | Hospitalization, ambulatory setting or at home (self-isolation) | Options include a symptom-based, a time-based, or a test-based strategy. | ||
| The decision to monitor a patient in the inpatient or outpatient setting should be made on a case-by-case basis. This decision will depend on the clinical presentation, requirement for supportive care, potential risk factors for severe disease, and the ability of the patient to self-isolate at home. | - Symptom-based strategy: ≥ 3 days (72 hours) since recovery (no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms) | |||
| AND, ≥ 10 days since symptoms onset | ||||
| - Time-based strategy: (persons with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who have not had any symptoms) ≥ 10 days since the date of their first COVID-19 positive test | ||||
| AND have had no subsequent illness. | ||||
| - Test-based strategy: resolution of fever, improvement in respiratory symptoms | ||||
| AND two negative nasopharyngeal swabs, ≥ 24 hours apart | ||||
| The symptom-based, time-based, and test-based strategies may result in different timeframes for discontinuation of isolation post-recovery. For all scenarios outlined above, the decision to discontinue isolation should be made in the context of local circumstances. | ||||
| UK9 | Hospitalization, or at home | Once the 14 days since the test have elapsed infection prevention and control measures for hospitalized COVID-19 patients can be stopped if there is: | ||
| - Clinical improvement with at least some respiratory recovery | ||||
| - Absence of fever (> 37.8°C) for 48 hours without the use of medication | ||||
| - No underlying severe immunosuppression | ||||
| If you have had symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), then you may end your self-isolation after 7 days and return to your normal routine if you do not have symptoms other than cough or loss of sense of smell/taste. | ||||
COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019, PCR = polymerase chain reaction, UK = United Kingdom, USA = United States of America, WHO = World Health Organization.