Frontiers in Public Health (Jun 2021)

A Quantitative Estimate of the Expected Shortening of the Median Isolation Period of Patients With COVID-19 After the Adoption of a Symptom-Based Strategy

  • Francesca Bai,
  • Alessandro Tavelli,
  • Giovanni Mulè,
  • Camilla Falcinella,
  • Debora Mondatore,
  • Daniele Tesoro,
  • Diletta Barbanotti,
  • Daniele Tomasoni,
  • Roberto Castoldi,
  • Matteo Augello,
  • Marina Allegrini,
  • Gianmarco Tagliaferri,
  • Andrea Cona,
  • Alessandro Cozzi-Lepri,
  • Giulia Marchetti,
  • Antonella d'Arminio Monforte

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.639347
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9

Abstract

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A long period of isolation was observed in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in Milan over March-September 2020 (45; IQR: 37–54 days). A significantly shorter period would have been observed by the application of May-WHO (22, IQR: 17–30 days, P < 0.001) and October-Italian (26, IQR: 21–34 days, P < 0.001) Guidelines. The adoption of the new symptom-based criteria is likely to lead to a significant reduction in the length of the isolation period with potential social, economic and psychological benefits, particularly in the younger population with mild/moderate disease and no comorbidities. In our opinion, the release from isolation after 21 days from symptoms onset, even without a PCR diagnostic test, in most cases seems the most adequate strategy that could balance precautions to prevent SARS CoV-2 transmission and unnecessary prolonged isolation or overuse of diagnostic testing.

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