Although the number of people infected with the Corona virus continues to increase, many people have recovered from the Corona virus. However, to be declared cured of COVID-19, a person must meet several criteria first.
As we all know, patients who test positive for COVID-19 are required to isolate themselves, either in hospital isolation, in government-provided facilities, or independently at home, to avoid the spread of the Corona virus.
Initially, the new patient could be declared cured of Corona and could be released from isolation when the PCR test (polymerase chain reaction) has shown negative results twice.
However, since June 17, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) has updated guidelines regarding the criteria for patients recovering from Corona and recommendations for releasing patients from isolation.
Criteria for Patients Recovering from Corona
The WHO said that now a positive COVID-19 patient can be declared cured when he no longer shows symptoms of COVID-19, without requiring confirmation of a PCR test.
However, to be more secure, the PCR test is still used in some cases. The following are the recovery criteria for positive COVID-19 patients that apply in Indonesia:
- Asymptomatic patients: has passed the isolation period for 10 days.
- Patients with mild to moderate symptoms: have passed the isolation period for at least 10 days, plus 3 days without symptoms.
- Patients with severe symptoms: has passed the isolation period for at least 10 days, plus 3 days without symptoms and 1 time negative result on the PCR test.
If the patient has symptoms for more than 10 days, he or she must go through a period of isolation as long as the symptoms of COVID-19 are still present, plus 3 days without symptoms, for example:
- The patient feels symptoms for 14 days, so he must pass a period of isolation for 14 days + 3 days without symptoms = 17 days from the time the symptoms appear.
- The patient feels symptoms for 30 days, so he must pass a period of isolation for 30 days + 3 days without symptoms = 33 days from the time the symptoms appear.
This change was made because a PCR test with a positive result does not always indicate that the Corona virus in the patient's body is still active. It is possible that the PCR test detects a dead virus, because the immune system is already able to control it.
Antibodies or immunity to the Corona virus are usually formed 5-10 days after infection. This means that the risk of transmission from patients who have completed isolation for at least 10 days will be very small, even though the PCR test results are still positive. Therefore, to avoid bias, repeat PCR testing after self-isolation is no longer recommended.
However, if after isolation the patient will meet people from groups who are prone to contracting the Corona virus and experience severe symptoms, such as the elderly or people with comorbidities, it is better for him to continue to do the PCR test and wait until the results are negative.
In addition, recovery must still be determined based on the assessment of the treating doctor. If the patient has met the recovery criteria as described above, then he can get out of isolation and return to interacting with other people, of course, while still implementing health protocols.
Things to do after recovering from Corona
Most people with COVID-19 will make a full recovery within a few weeks of first experiencing symptoms. However, there are also COVID-19 sufferers who still experience symptoms for weeks to months after they are declared cured of Corona.
Generally, people who have recovered from COVID-19 but still feel advanced symptoms are elderly people and people who have certain medical conditions. Even so, there are also young and healthy people who have recovered from Corona but are still experiencing long-term symptoms (post-acute COVID-19 syndrome).
Symptoms are also called long-haul COVID-19 these include:
- Fatigue
- Hard to breathe
- Cough
- Joint and muscle pain
- Chest pain
- Headache
- Heart pounding
- Insensitivity to the sense of smell (anosmia) and the sense of taste
- It's hard to concentrate
- Hard to sleep
- Rash
Patients with COVID-19 who have recovered but are still experiencing long-term symptoms as mentioned above are advised to consult a doctor for appropriate treatment.
In general, there are several things that people who have recovered from Corona can do to maximize recovery, including:
- Eat a balanced nutritious diet
- Doing breathing exercises
- Regular light exercise
- Regular walking
- Get used to sitting more in an upright position than lying down
- Check heart rate and oxygen levels regularly
- Maintain sleep quality
- Don't smoke and avoid cigarette smoke
- Do not consume alcoholic beverages
According to research, people who recover from COVID-19 have immunity to the Corona virus for 8 months or more, thus preventing them from being re-infected by this virus within that time. However, cases of reinfection in COVID-19 are very rare and are still being studied further.
Even so, people who have recovered from Corona are still encouraged to apply health protocols, namely wearing masks, maintaining distance, and washing hands with running water and soap.
People who have recovered from COVID-19, or often called COVID-19 survivors, can donate blood plasma to COVID-19 sufferers who are still sick, especially with severe symptoms. This is because their blood plasma contains antibodies that can fight the Corona virus.
This blood plasma donation is called convalescent plasma therapy, which is carried out with the aim of preventing the worsening of symptoms and accelerating the healing process of COVID-19 patients who are still sick.
If you still have questions regarding Corona virus infection, whether regarding symptoms, COVID-19 examination, or treatment after recovering from Corona, you canchat directly with a doctor in the ALODOKTER application or make an appointment with a doctor in the application.