Laos Ease Testing, Isolation Requirements For Discharged COVID-19 Patients

VIENTIANE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jan, 2022 ) :Lao health authorities have lifted restrictions on COVID-19 patients discharged from hospital, allowing them to resume their lives without further testing or isolation, local media reported on Wednesday.

The move is part of changes made by the health sector towards a "new normal" way of life, and follows a decline in the number of new COVID-19 cases reported in the country.

Patients discharged from the hospital who still have health concerns can get advice from a medical professional or through a telehealth hotline.

The country's Ministry of Health had changed its stance after reviewing the situation, said Sisavath Southaniraxay, deputy director-general of the Department of Communicable Diseases Control under the ministry.

Southaniraxay said the ministry believes that the public were able to act responsibly to ensure their own safety and that of others, according to the local daily Vientiane Times.

The ministry has also advised people with asymptomatic infections or mild symptoms to stay at home to save medical resources for those more seriously infected.Moreover, COVID-19 patients in the country will be assessed according to their symptoms rather than test results. Asymptomatic cases can be discharged from the hospital 10 days after a positive test result without the need for further testing, and patients with mild symptoms can leave medical facilities after 13 days provided they do not have a fever or any respiratory issues.

The country reported 1,282 new cases of COVID-19 nationwide and seven more deaths, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 127,348 and the death toll to 507, according to the National Task-force Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. Laos reported its first two confirmed COVID-19 cases on March 24, 2020.