Perioperative Care for Patients with COVID-19: Reply

We sincerely thank Dr. Williams¹  for his interest in our article²  and for his provocative question. As the world passes five million recorded cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the number is still rising, we also recognize the importance of developing management strategies for COVID-19 patients after the initial discharge home. As of May 25, 2020, more than 79,000 patients, or 94% of all registered cases in China, have been discharged home from either designated facilities or hospitals. The discharge criteria for COVID-19 patients include (1) body temperature return to normal for more than 3 days, (2) oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry (Spo₂) at or greater than 94% on room air, and (3) two consecutive negative nucleic acid tests.³  However, data have shown that with the current discharge criteria,...