The medical student from Wuhan, who is the first patient to have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country and who had been admitted to the Government Medical College hospital, Thrissur, was discharged on February 20.
She is the last of the three patients, who tested positive for COVID-19 in the State , to be discharged.
An official release from the COVID-19 Outbreak Control and Prevention State Cell said that the student was discharged after her two consecutive test samples sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, were found to be negative for the virus SARS-CoV-2.
A COVID-19 patient, according to the clinical protocol followed by the State , is considered ready for discharge if two consecutive test samples within a gap of 24 hours are negative for the virus and if the chest X-ray is clear.
The decision to discharge the patient was taken by the institutional Medical Board at Thrissur Govt MCH on February 20 morning and after conferring with the State Control Cell, the patient was allowed to go home.
She will however continue to remain home under surveillance for a few more days.
The patient, who is a medical student at Wuhan, had returned to her home State on January 24 and was subsequently admitted to the Thrissur General Hospital when she developed mild flu-like symptoms.
She was shifted to the Thrissur Medial College after her test results revealed her to be COVID-19-positive on January 30.
Kerala had reported a total of three confirmed COVID-19 cases and all have been discharged now.
The State, however, continues the surveillance. As on February 20, 914 persons are on quarantine in various districts . However, except for the seven who have been isolated in hospitals, the rest are on self-quarantine at their own homes.
