As coronavirus cases in India crossed 61,000 on Saturday, the Union Health Ministry tweaked the guidelines for discharge of Covid-19 patients subject to clinical condition, a move aimed to ease the burden on the medical facilities which are anticipated to gradually overwhelm with serious infections.

The Government is already grappling with the safety of the healthcare workers who are also bearing the brunt of the deadly pandemic.

As per the revised guidelines, there will be no need for testing prior to discharge of the patients admitted with very mild, mild and pre-symptomatic cases to a Covid Care Facility.

As per the earlier guidelines issued on April 28, 2020 when the reported cases were around 29,400, the patient had to test negative twice for Covid-19 before being discharged.

“They will undergo regular temperature and pulse oximetry monitoring. The patient can be discharged after 10 days of symptom onset and no fever for 3 days. There will be no need for testing prior to discharge. The patient will be advised to follow the home isolation for further 7 days,” as per the policy. If they develop symptoms of fever, cough or breathing difficulty again, they must contact the Covid Care Centre State helpline or 1075.

The other serious Covid-19 affected patients will have to be in the hospitals only, as per the revised guidelines issued by the Ministry.

For moderate cases, if fever resolves within three days and no oxygen support is needed, the patients can be discharged after 10 days of onset of symptoms.

However, if symptoms are not resolved in three days and the patients require oxygen support, they can be “discharged only after resolution of clinical symptoms and ability to maintain oxygen saturation for three consecutive days.

In all these cases, the patients can be discharged as their symptoms are relieved without an RT-PCR test; they have to be isolated at home for seven days.

Those with severe symptoms will be “discharged only after clinical recovery” and “after testing negative once by RT-PCR (after resolution of symptoms)”.

At any point of time during his/her recovery at the health facility, if the oxygen saturation levels dip below 95 per cent, patient will be moved to “a dedicated Covid-19 health centre”.

After discharge, if the patient again develops symptoms of fever, cough or breathing difficulty he will contact the Covid Care Centre or State helpline or 1075. A follow-up will be done on day-14 through teleconference.

As per the global estimate, around 81 per cent of Covid cases are mild cases while remaining 20 per cent may develop complications which would require hospitalisation. Out of the hospitalised cases, only 5 per cent may require ICU care. Doctors said the primary treatment for viral infection is supportive treatment in more than 80 per cent of the patients and oxygen therapy in around 15 per cent of patients along with other drugs.