Medical workers celebrate the shutting down of Jianghan Fangcang temporary hospital for COVID-19 patients in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province Monday, March 09, 2020. (Photo credit should read Feature China/Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
Officials at the World Health Organization said Monday that of about 80,000 people who have been sickened by COVID-19 in China, more than 70 percent have recovered and been discharged from hospitals.
Patients are typically released when they test negative twice for the virus within 24 hours, meaning they’re no longer carrying the virus, although some countries may be using a slightly different definition, which may include when people have no more respiratory symptoms or a clear CT scan.
The World Health Organization said it could take considerably longer for people to be “recovered,” depending on the severity of the disease.
Dr. Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization's emergencies chief, said it can take up to six weeks for people to fully recover from COVID-19 infections, which could include pneumonia and other respiratory problems in serious cases. He said the numbers of reported patients have not always been systematically provided to World Health Organization although the U.N. health agency is asking every country with cases for further information.
FILE - CNN anchors Kaitlan Collins, from left, Don Lemon and Poppy Harlow appear at the 16th annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute on Dec. 11, 2022, in New York.
(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
Bruce Willis attends a movie premiere in New York on Friday, Oct. 11, 2019. Nearly a year after Bruce Willis’ family announced that he would step away from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, his family says his “condition has progressed.” In a statement posted Thursday, the 67-year-old actor’s family said Willis has a more specific diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
One Potomac teen extended the love this Valentine's Day to make sure everyone in his community felt special by sending cards to those in nursing homes, hospitals, and nonprofits.