Guwahati: The Assam government on Friday revised its discharge protocol for COVID-19 patients superseding the earlier notification on it issued in July last year, an official release said.
The revised discharged protocol is aligned with the guidelines on the three-tier COVID facilities and the categorization of patients based on clinical severity according to the Revised Protocol for Management of COVID-19 notification of April seven last, the PTI reported.
According to the new protocol, COVID-19 positive asymptomatic patients shall be isolated and treated at the corona care centres, the release said.
Asymptomatic individuals with positive RAT/RTPCR test report who continue to remain asymptomatic during their stay in the isolation ward of the hospital can be discharged on the seventh day from the date of collection of the positive sample. This will be done if there is no fever and no symptoms for at least three consecutive days before discharge, maintain oxygen saturation (SPO2) above 94 per cent for at-least three days without oxygen support and the RAT test is negative.
If the firsr repeat RAT test done on the seventh day is positive, the test shall be repeated every 72 hours till the report is negative, the release said.
At the time of discharge, the patient shall be advised home isolation for ten days – under active surveillance for three days and passive surveillance for seven days.
All COVID-19 positive symptomatic patients shall be isolated and treated at dedicated COVID hospitals with patients undergoing regular temperature and oxygen saturation monitoring.
The patients can be discharged only after seven days from the date of collection of the first positive sample, if there is no fever and no symptoms for at least three consecutive days before discharge, maintain oxygen saturation above 94 per cent in room air for at least three days without oxygen support and a negative RAT test.
If the first repeat RAT on the seventh day is positive, the test shall be repeated every 72 hours till negative. At the time of discharge, the patient shall be advised home isolation for 10 days – under active surveillance for three days and passive surveillance for seven days.
The discharge criteria of COVID-19 positive patients with severe diseases, including immunocompromised patients like HlV patients, transplant recipients, malignancy and others will be based on clinical recovery and negative RT-PCR test, after resolution of symptoms.
These patients can be discharged from hospital if they have no fever and no symptoms for at least three consecutive days before discharge, maintain oxygen saturation above 94 per cent in room air for at-least three days without oxygen support and negative RT-PCR test, the release said.
Those asymptomatic COVID-19 positive patients in home isolation shall intimate to the concerned authorities for discharge on the seventh day of the first positive test. These patients do not require repeat testing but they have to remain in home isolation for another 10 days, including active surveillance for three days and passive surveillance for seven days, the release added.
