'No Symptoms but Isolation Lifted'...Changed COVID-19 Response Guidelines

Two Virus Tests at One-Day Intervals After 48 Hours of Asymptomatic Period
→ Symptom Improvement Without Fever and Negative Tests at 24-Hour Intervals Revised

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The time point for release from isolation after recovery from the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is being advanced. Previously, even without symptoms such as fever, cough, or pneumonia, virus diagnostic tests had to be conducted at one-day intervals after 48 hours, but now release is possible immediately once symptoms improve and diagnostic tests show negative results. If there is no fever, even if the virus remains, release from isolation may be considered after three weeks from the onset of illness.

According to the revised response guidelines (7th edition) distributed by the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 2nd to local governments, this content has been reflected regarding confirmed patient release from isolation. The previous release criteria were "after all symptoms have disappeared and 48 hours have passed, and two negative respiratory specimen PCR test results at 24-hour intervals." This was the standard during the 2015 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak. Medical staff treating COVID-19 patients have argued that the severity is less compared to MERS patients and that these criteria need to be relaxed.

The previous criteria required at least three days physically because virus diagnostic tests were conducted only after 48 hours had passed following complete symptom resolution. This meant two virus tests at one-day intervals after all symptoms had resolved. The health authorities have somewhat relaxed the criteria by separating clinical and testing standards for release. For clinical criteria, "no fever without antipyretics and improvement of clinical symptoms," and for testing criteria, "two negative PCR test results at 24-hour intervals" allow release from isolation.

As the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) increases in Daegu, soldiers from the Army's 50th Division are conducting disinfection operations at Sinbongdeok Market in Nam-gu, Daegu, on the morning of the 2nd. <이미지:연합뉴스>

This means that discharge is possible even with mild symptoms such as cough rather than fever. Bang Ji-hwan, Director of the Central Infectious Disease Hospital Operation Center at the National Medical Center, said the day before, "Cough may persist for a considerable time due to airway hypersensitivity after respiratory infection," adding, "In this case, cough does not affect the decision to discharge."

The PCR test to check for remaining virus is also now possible immediately if fever is not severe. This means discharge timing can be advanced by more than 48 hours compared to before. This test involves collecting specimens such as sputum from the patient, amplifying them, and detecting virus traces. The collection process is not easy, and it takes about six hours to confirm through equipment.

The health authorities revised the guidelines because recently, with a rapid increase in patients mainly in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, there were concerns about poor bed turnover due to mild patients not being discharged. Kim Kang-lip, the 1st Chief Coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said at a briefing that day, "Foreign countries release patients from isolation with much more flexible criteria than ours," and "The number of recovered patients is likely to increase."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.