Health Ministry shortens isolation period to 10 days for corona patients

The Health Ministry has adopted the recommendations of the World Health Organization.

By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN
Isolation room featuring a sensor that can monitor patients (photo credit: SHEBA MEDICAL CENTER)
Isolation room featuring a sensor that can monitor patients
(photo credit: SHEBA MEDICAL CENTER)
The isolation period for some people who have been infected with the novel coronavirus has been shortened from 14 days to 10, the Health Ministry updated on Wednesday.
"The Health Ministry has adopted the recommendations of the World Health Organization and shortened the recovery and isolation periods in some cases," a statement by the ministry said. 
The decision is based on new research that indicates that the chance of spreading the virus and infecting others is very low after nine days, it continued. 
However, there are different criteria for different patients:
> If patients know exactly when their symptoms began, they may leave isolation after 13 days - 10 days since the onset of symptoms plus another three days during which they are symptom free. Then, they may leave isolation without requiring any further screening.
> In the cases where patients do not know when their symptoms started, they have to wait  13 days, too - 10 days from the last time they tested positive, plus another three days symptom free. Then, there is no need for any additional screening and they may leave isolation.
> Finally, asymptomatic patients can leave isolation as soon as 10 days have passed since they tested positive, with no conditions.
Although the above patients can leave quarantine without being re-tested, patients who are hospitalized, are high-risk or immunocompromised should be re-screened before leaving isolation.