DOH changes rules in sending COVID-19 patients home; expects further rise in recoveries

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday announced it will be revising protocols in determining recovered COVID-19 patients and expect the number of recoveries to increase further.

DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the health agency will shift to a “symptoms-based” approach in deciding if a COVID-19 patient should already be discharged from the hospital.

“Ang sinasabi natin doon na as long as the patient does not exhibit symptoms at all, three days na and naka-reach na rin siya ng 10th day niya nung sakit niya, maaari na siyang i-clear ng kaniyang physician na pwede na siyang  umuwi,” the DOH spokesperson explained.

(What we are saying is that as long as the patient does not exhibit symptoms at all for three days and the patient has reached the 10th day, the patient can already be cleared by the physician to go home.)

“Or kung nasa quarantine facilty siya, pwede na rin siyang pauwiin kung wala siyang sintomas at naka-reach na siya sa 10th day ng kanyang illness,” Vergeire added.

(Or if a patient is in a quarantine facility, the patient can already be sent home if the patient does not have symptoms and has already reached the 10th day of illness.)

According to Vergeire, new findings and research show that a person who contracted COVID-19 is considered “non-infectious” 10 days after the patient first showed symptoms.

As for asymptomatic cases, she said: “Basta nakumpleto na niya ‘yung 14 na araw niya na wala siyang sintomas, walang na-develop na symptoms, they can already go home without having to be tested.”

(As long as they have no symptoms for the past 14 days, they can already go home without being tested.)

The DOH official explained that under the old “test-based” approach, a COVID-19 patient can only be discharged if the patient underwent two consecutive RT-PCR tests and both came up with negative results.

But Vergeire said that based on experts’ advice, the RT-PCR testing is “sensitive” and can even detect remnants of the virus.

Cutting down quarantine period ‘possible’

Vergeire also said noted that at present, a COVID-19 patient will be taken out of the list of active cases if he/she will be admitted to the hospital or quarantine facility for 14 days, and will be required to self-isolate at home for another 14 days.

But since studies showed that a patient is considered “non-infectious” after 10 days, Vergeire said that the DOH is already talking with experts about the possibility of cutting down the additional quarantine period.

“Pinagu-usapan ngayon with our experts kung paiikliin natin na baka seven days na lang ang additional quarantine period. So that’s part of what we are studying right now,” she said.

(We are talking with our experts right now to see if we can cut the additional quarantine period to seven days. So that’s part of what we are studying right now.)

“With these updated guidelines also, makakadagdag ito sa mga recoveries natin (it will increase the number of our recoveries),” she later said.

As of June 26, the Philippines has 34,073 COVID-19 cases including 9,182 recoveries and 1,224 deaths.

KGA