A total of 36,117 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery reports are quoted by Chinese health officials.
Criteria for deciding if a patient has recovered varies between provinces, but in general, Chinese hospitals require people to test negative twice in a row, and to show no obvious symptoms such as a fever for flu. Patients who are released have been directed to check in with their hospitals and can face retesting, which is when some tested positive again. And so it may be a reoccurring phenomenon.
Little is known about COVID 19, and some doctors believe testing negative after testing positive initially does not necessarily mean the virus has returned. It could also mean the patient was discharged too soon, or is testing positive due to remnants of the virus in his or her system.
As of today, 5 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Pakistan. According to National Institutes of Health (NIH) the latest patient to test positive is a 45-year-old woman from the northern mountainous region of Gilgit Baltistan, who arrived from Iran a few days ago. An official of the health department said the woman was being treated at a hospital and her family members are being tested for the virus.