The definition of various COVID-19 groups and their treatments
People receive nucleic acid testing at a local hospital in Shanghai on Saturday.
Confirmed cases
A positive case is confirmed after consulting medical experts, epidemiological survey, inspection of clinical symptoms, laboratory test and imagological examination.
They are quarantined and treated mainly at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center with a combination of anti-infection therapy, traditional Chinese medicine, nutrition, psychological counseling and other remedies.
Asymptomatic cases
An asymptomatic case is tested positive for COVID-19, but shows no clinical symptoms. A small portion of such cases might show symptoms later and become a confirmed case.
Asymptomatic cases are also quarantined at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center as other confirmed cases. Most need no treatment since they show no clinical symptoms.
Asymptomatic patients undergo two weeks of medical observation. After that, they receive two rounds of nucleic acid testing and are only discharged if both results are negative.
Suspected cases
A suspected case tests negative for COVID-19, but has been in contact with other COVID-19 cases, shows multiple clinical symptoms such as fever and cough as well as lung infection, when seen on X-rays.
They will be under central quarantine for medical observation and additional nucleic acid testing.
Close contacts
They have unprotected close contact with confirmed or suspected cases.
They will be centrally quarantined for two weeks with multiple nucleic acid testing. Another week of home quarantine and health observation must be conducted after the central quarantine.
Contacts to close contacts
Secondary contacts are those who may have lived, worked, dined or entertained with close contacts in the same sealed environment but with no protection. They are mainly family members or colleagues of the close contacts.
They will also receive central quarantine with multiple nucleic acid testing. If the tests are negative and their close contacts also test negative, they will be discharged. They are required to keep conducting self-health observation, avoid gathering and reduce traveling.
Normal contacts/ Risky Groups
They are those who may have taken the same transport, such as a plane, train or ship, with the suspected, confirmed or symptomatic cases, or are exposed in the same community, workplace, school campus, mall, market, bus station or subway station.
They must conduct two days of home quarantine with twice nucleic acid testing, followed by 12 days of community management.
During the community management period, they will be informed about the health risk and required to avoid going out if not necessary. They are encouraged to work at home and must wear a mask if have to go to the workplace. They are banned from taking public transport, going to crowded places such as shopping malls or attending gathering events like a conference.
If they show any symptoms, they must go to the nearest fever clinic immediately and avoid taking public transport.
