The following criteria should be used for removing patients from COVID-19 isolation and COVID-19 designated units:
- Patients with mild to moderate illness who are not severely immunocompromised*:
- At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared and
- At least 24 hours have passed since last fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and
- Symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) have improved.
- Patients with severe to critical illness or who are severely immunocompromised:
- At least 10 days and up to 20 days have passed since symptoms first appeared, and
- At least 24 hours have passed since last fever without the use of fever-reducing medications, and
- Symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) have improved.
- Consider consultation with infection prevention and control.
Definitions:
- Mild illness: Fever, cough, malaise without shortness of breath or abnormal CXR
- Moderate illness: Evidence of lower respiratory tract disease by assessment or imaging and O2 sat > 94% on room air
- Severe illness: Respiratory rate > 30, room air O2 sat <94%, (or, for patients with chronic hypoxemia, a decrease from baseline of >3%), PO2/FiO2 radiation <300, or lung infiltrates of >50%
- Critical illness: Respiratory failure, septic shock, or multiple organ dysfunction
* Severely immunocompromised:
Cancer chemotherapy, < 1 year from stem cell or organ transplant, untreated HIV/AIDS with CD4 <200, combined primary immunodeficiency disorder, prednisone > 20 mg/day x >14 days.