Preliminary data shows the overall incidence of recovered COVID-19 patients who tested positive after discharged from hospital in China is between five and 15 percent, Wang Guiqiang, director of the infectious disease department of the Peking University First Hospital, said at a press conference on Thursday. 

"This kind of patients met discharge standards but later tested positive in nucleic acid detection," Wang illustrated. 

The incidence of this situation varies greatly in difference regions of the country, in general, the number of recovered positive patients is not high, he added. 

Documents released by the National Health Commission of China emphasized the importance of closely monitoring patients in convalescence.

"After patients with mild conditions discharged from hospitals, they need to home quarantine for 14 day," said Wang. "Patients need to stay in a separate room, wearing mask is necessary, and close contact with family members need to be avoided to prevent the risk of viral transmission."

He added that patients in critical condition must be closely monitored and followed up after discharged, and they should go to the hospitals for re-examination of lung function, chest radiography, blood routine and other indexes two and four weeks after discharged.

(Cover image: Wang Guiqiang, director of the infectious disease department of the Peking University First Hospital, speaks at a press conference, May 7, 2020. /VCG)