Covid-19 | Patient who tested positive again remains in good health

A Covid-19 patient who was discharged from hospital isolation has tested positive again during his convalescence period, as announced during yesterday’s daily press conference of the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center.
The patient is the 15th confirmed case in the city. He left the Conde S. Januário Hospital (CHCSJ) on April 12 and entered a convalescence period at the Public Health Clinical Centre in Coloane. On April 25 and 26, which were his 13th and 14th days at the Coloane center, he tested positive for Covid-19.
According to Lo Iek Long, medical director at CHCSJ, from the first day of testing positive for Covid-19, the patient did not experience any discomfort. During his entire treatment at the hospital, he did not manifest any Covid-19 symptoms and remained “strong.” He was also asymptomatic during the convalescence at the Coloane health center.
Lo said that the situation in which a patient tests positive again is normal and well-understood by medical professionals globally.
Globally, there have been cases in which patients have tested positive again after fully recovering or after testing negative from the virus. According to Lo, between 1% and 4% of patients worldwide have tested positive again after recovery. From a medicinal science perspective, it is a normal phenomenon.
The SAR government will not relocate the patient back to hospital isolation but will keep him at the Coloane health center until another two negative test results are recorded.
Lo also affirmed that the health authority has been implementing the same medical measures and standards at both the hospital and the Coloane center. Medical professionals working at the Coloane center and CHCSJ are from the same medical team, according to Lo.
In saying this, Lo reminded the public not to worry whether this patient has already transmited the virus to others, because he was still under a high-standard medical monitoring during his convalescence.
Yesterday, the 32nd patient was discharged from hospital and is now in isolation at the Coloane health center. In total, Macau still has 13 patients with Covid-19. Eight are receiveing medical treamtent at the public hospital and five are in the Coloane health center. A further twenty people are in convalescence.
Yesterday also marks the 19th day no new cases of Covid-19 were registered.
From yesterday, the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ) has been performing nucleic and screening tests for Covid-19 on all teachers, school staff and cross-border students ahead of class resumption. As of 5 p.m. yesterday, 758 teaching staff had been tested. According to Lo, currently, the public hospital can perform 2,000 tests per day.