Coronavirus in China and Hong Kong: Shanghai on Wednesday released its first official definition of severe and critical conditions of COVID-19 to ensure such patients are treated earlier and more effectively. The city’s team of COVID-19 experts issued the COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment standard, mainly as an official reference and guidance for grassroots medical institutions and doctors.
classification of patients
Mild and common types:
Suffers from fever, fatigue, dry cough, sore throat, malaise and other symptoms, but there is no difficulty in breathing and decreased oxygen saturation. People who do not have pneumonia may be diagnosed with the mild type, while people with pneumonia may be diagnosed with the moderate type.
Severe type:
Adults with any condition:
- shortness of breath, respiratory rate ≥30 times per minute
- oxygen saturation ≤93 percent on inhalation
- Pulmonary imaging shows that the infection has increased significantly (> 50 percent) within 24 to 48 hours
Children suffering from any condition:
- very high fever or persistent high fever for more than three days
- shortness of breath
- oxygen saturation ≤93 percent on inhalation
- drowsiness and convulsions
- Refusing to eat or having difficulty eating with symptoms of dehydration
Severe type:
Patients suffering from any condition:
- respiratory failure and requiring mechanical ventilation
- recurring tremors
- complicated with other organ failure, requiring ICU monitoring and treatment
high-risk groups who are likely to develop severe conditions
Currently, high risk factors for severe and dangerous conditions of COVID-19 include:
- age ≥60 years
- Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (including hypertension), chronic lung diseases, diabetes, chronic liver, kidney diseases, tumors, hematological malignancies, hemodialysis and other underlying diseases
- immune disorders
- Obesity (BMI≥30)
- women in labor
- heavy smoker
- Children with certain underlying diseases (congenital heart disease, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, chronic lung disease, respiratory pathology, delayed development of the nervous system, neuromuscular disease, abnormal hemoglobin disease, severe malnutrition, etc.), or immunodeficiency, obesity, and premature newborns
- who have not received the full course of COVID-19 vaccines or a booster shot
CLASSIFIED TREATMENTS FOR COVID-19 PATIENTS
For mild or moderate cases, home or local treatment will be adopted. Community healthcare centers can provide standard treatment. Infected people with serious underlying diseases and some severe and critical cases were referred to district-level hospitals by community health service centres. City-level hospitals are responsible for the treatment of acute and critical cases, while providing technical guidance to district hospitals. Pregnant women and newborns are admitted to designated hospitals in each district. Hemodialysis, tumor radiotherapy and chemotherapy patients are given priority at their regular hospitals.