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The Ministry of Health has updated the definition of a coronavirus case to include new symptoms compatible with infection with the aim of facilitating early detection in the de-escalation phase.
The Ministry of Health has updated the definition of a coronavirus case to include new symptoms compatible with the infection with the aim of facilitating early detection in the de-escalation phase, for which suspected patients will be given a PCR test in the first 24 hours. hours.
It has done so in the "Diagnosis, Surveillance and Control Strategy in the Transition Phase of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Monitoring Indicators" that this department published today after agreeing on it last Monday with the autonomous communities.
A suspected case will be "any person with a clinical picture of a sudden onset acute respiratory infection of any severity that presents, among others, with fever, cough or feeling of shortness of breath", as until now, to which "other symptoms" will be added. atypical symptoms such as odynophagia - sore throat when swallowing -, anosmia and ageusia - loss of smell and taste -, muscle pain, diarrhea, chest pain or headaches, among others. And all of these patients will undergo a PCR or other similar molecular diagnostic technique that is considered appropriate in the first 24 hours from the onset of symptoms.
In the event that the PCR is negative and there is a high clinical suspicion of coronavirus, the test will be repeated and if it is still negative and several days have passed since the onset of symptoms, an antibody test or Elisa-type serological test can be performed. Health indicates that if in the context of contact studies or screening a case with positive PCR is detected in an asymptomatic person, it will be considered confirmed.
The document classifies the cases by suspects - those that meet the clinical criteria until obtaining the PCR result - those confirmed with positive infection - those that with or without clinical symptoms test positive by PCR and also those that meet the clinical criteria with Negative PCR and serological test. Those with severe acute respiratory infection with clinical and radiological criteria compatible with covid-19 with negative PCR or inconclusive results will be considered probable cases.
