The Ministry of Health wishes to advise that the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC) guidelines recommend two (2) alternatives to define if a patient is “recovered” from COVID-19. Recovery may be determined by utilizing the following strategies:

1. Test-based strategy; and
2. Non test-based strategy.

The Test-based strategy requires that the patient –

• is asymptomatic (no longer experiencing symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath); and
• produce negative results.

Patients who undergo the Test-based strategy may include hospitalized patients with moderate or severe disease and those with immunocompromising conditions.

The Non test-based strategy requires that the patient -

• no longer has a fever and has not used fever-reducing medications within three (3) days;
• shows an improvement in respiratory symptoms such as cough and shortness of breath; and
• has no symptoms for at least seven (7) days since symptoms first appeared.

Patients who undergo this strategy are likely to be those considered to be mild cases that were cared for at home.  

If testing is not possible, the World Health Organization recommends that a patient be isolated at home even after symptoms have resolved until a clinician determines that the patient has “recovered”.

With these guidelines in mind, a confirmed positive COVID-19 case in The Bahamas is not considered “recovered” until a patient has fully satisfied at least one of the conditions mentioned above.