On 27 May 2020, WHO published updated interim guidance on the clinical management of COVID-19,1,2 and provided updated recommendations on the criteria for discharging patients from isolation. The updated criteria reflect recent findings that patients whose symptoms have resolved may still test positive for the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) by RT-PCR for many weeks. Despite this positive test result, these patients are not likely to be infectious and therefore are unlikely to be able to transmit the virus to another person.
This scientific brief provides the rationale for the changes made to the clinical management of COVID-19 guidance, based on recent scientific evidence. WHO will update these criteria as more information becomes available. For more information about clinical care of COVID-19 patients, see WHO’s full guidance.
Criteria for releasing COVID-19 patients from isolation (PDF, 230.4 KB)
