Additional Quarantine for Discharged Patients in Wuhan, China... "Patients Testing Positive After Complete Recovery Diagnosis Appear"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Wuhan City in China has decided to apply an additional 14-day quarantine period for confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). This is a follow-up measure after positive reactions were found even in patients who had completed treatment.

According to Hong Kong media, starting from the 22nd, Wuhan City requires discharged COVID-19 patients to be quarantined at designated locations for two weeks and then undergo testing. Wuhan is the place where this COVID-19 outbreak originated, and the majority of confirmed cases and deaths in China are from here.

The reason for imposing additional quarantine on discharged patients is based on warnings from frontline medical staff. According to them, some discharged patients still have the COVID-19 virus remaining in their bodies and can transmit it to others.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Dr. Zhao Jianping, a physician active in Hubei Province, told a media outlet, "Although patients appear to be treated on the surface, some show positive reactions upon testing," adding, "This is a considerably dangerous situation." He said, "If these patients are sent home, they can infect others, and due to limitations in medical resources, they cannot be kept in hospitals."

There have also been cases outside Hubei Province where patients tested positive nine days after discharge and had to undergo testing again.

Chai Weiping, head of infectious diseases at Guangzhou No. 8 Hospital, said, "There may be viruses or viral genetic material remaining in discharged patients' bodies," and added, "It is uncertain whether they are infectious. Since this is a new infectious disease, we do not yet fully understand it." However, he reported that there have been no cases of relapse among patients whose lung inflammation had decreased according to X-ray results.

Currently, China considers four criteria for discharge: a body temperature returning to normal for more than three days, significant improvement in respiratory symptoms, significant improvement in lung condition as shown by X-ray imaging, and negative results in nucleic acid (DNA) tests conducted at least one day apart.