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Caution in use of term ‘recovered’ from COVID-19
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Posted on Aug 10 2020
With lots of noise in the community on why the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. doesn’t post how many people have recovered from COVID-19, Esther Muña, CHCC chief executive officer, said that the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that they need to be cautious about what is considered “recovered.”
“CDC guidelines actually state that we need to be cautious about stating that. …While some jurisdictions post it, we ought not to, again because of that definition of what is ‘recovered,’” said Muña.
She added that the Commonwealth Health Center has seen cases of individuals who are considered “recovered,” yet the virus is still there when they are tested with the polymerase chain reaction test that looks for current infection. Muña stated that the definition for recovered patients is hard to define, and the CDC says that they need to be cautious in using that term.
“What we do is we test them. …After two tests that show that they [are] negative, then we release them. And some people have been released even after 30 days of isolation but they’re still showing positive,” said Muña.
Additionally, under CDC guidelines, how long a person is in isolation can determine if they are still infectious or not. “Yes, that’s what CDC is saying. …For example, they’ve been identified after the fifth day of testing, then you have another 14 days of isolation, and then you test them [again]. …Some have stayed within the isolation area beyond the 21 days,” said Muña. “But again, in the discussion of our medical provider with CDC, the determination is that they’re not considered infectious [and] they are released.”
Muña added that if CDC says that they are not ready to be released, they won’t be released but if the CDC says they are considered not infective, then the individual gets released.
Additionally, community testing has been ongoing for individuals who need to be tested, and not individuals who want to get tested the second time around. Muña stated that there have been no positive cases—“knock on wood”—so far.
