Question: When do healthcare facilities discharge COVID-19 patients?

Answer passage (source: CDC):
page_title: Healthcare Infection Prevention and Control FAQs for COVID-19
section_headers: Is a negative test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, required before a hospitalized patient can be discharged to a nursing home?
section_content: No. For patients hospitalized with COVID-19, decisions about discharge
from the hospital should be based on their clinical status and the ability
of the accepting facility to meet their care needs and adhere to recommended
infection prevention and control practices. Decisions about hospital discharge
are distinct from decisions about discontinuation of Transmission-Based
Precautions.
For patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, decisions about
discontinuing Transmission-Based Precautions should be based on the
strategies outlined here. The test-based strategy is NOT REQUIRED and
might not be possible due to limitations on availability of testing.
If a patient with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 has not met criteria for
discontinuing Transmission-Based Precautions, they should be transferred to a
facility with the ability to adhere to infection prevention and control
recommendations for the care
of residents with COVID-19, including placement in a unit or area of the
facility designated to care for residents with COVID-19 and provision of
recommended personal protective equipment to healthcare personnel.
If the patient with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 has met the criteria
for discontinuing Transmission-Based Precautions but has persistent
symptoms (e.g., persistent cough), they should ideally be placed in a single
room, be restricted to their room to the extent possible, and wear a facemask
(if tolerated) during care activities until all symptoms are completely
resolved or at baseline. If the patient has met the criteria for
discontinuing Transmission-Based Precautions and does not have persistent
symptoms, they do not require additional restrictions.
A patient hospitalized for non-COVID-related illnesses whose COVID-19 status
is not known can be transferred to a nursing home without testing. However, to
ensure they are not infected, nursing homes should place them in
Transmission-based Precautions in a separate observation area or in a single-person room until 14
days have elapsed since admission.
As part of universal source control
measures,
all residents (including those described in the scenarios above) should wear a
cloth face covering or facemask (if tolerated) whenever they leave their room.

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Gives clear guidance about how healthcare facilities decide when to discharge coronavirus patients.
This addresses the question with a statement about clinical status as opposed to a timeframe for discharge, but focuses mostly on when to stop transmission precautions.

Reviewer ratings:
Excellent
Acceptable

Answer passage (source: CDC):
page_title: Healthcare Infection Prevention and Control FAQs for COVID-19
section_headers: Do all patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 need to be placed in airborne infection isolation rooms?
section_content: No. Updated CDC Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for
Patients with Suspected or Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in
Healthcare
Settings recommends placing patients in a regular
examination room with the door closed. Airborne infection isolation rooms
should be reserved for patients undergoing aerosol generating procedures or
for diagnoses such as active tuberculosis.

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Discusses isolation procedures. Doesn't mention discharge criteria at all.
The article talks about how to do a clinical assessment on a covid patient safely.

Reviewer ratings:
Bad
Bad

Answer passage (source: CDC):
page_title: Clinical Questions about COVID-19: Questions and Answers
section_headers: Treatment and Management
When can patients with confirmed COVID-19 be discharged from the hospital?
section_content: Patients can be discharged from the healthcare facility whenever clinically
indicated. Isolation should be maintained at home if the patient returns home
before the time period recommended for discontinuation of hospital
Transmission-Based Precautions.
Decisions to discontinue Transmission-Based Precautions or in-home isolation
can be made on a case-by-case basis in consultation with clinicians, infection
prevention and control specialists, and public health authorities based upon
multiple factors, including disease severity, illness signs and symptoms, and
results of laboratory testing for COVID-19 in respiratory specimens.
See Interim Considerations for Disposition of Hospitalized Patients with
COVID-19.
For non-hospitalized persons, see Interim Guidance for Implementing Home Care
of People Not Requiring Hospitalization for
COVID-19, and
Discontinuation of In-Home Isolation for Immunocompromised
Persons.

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Provides a short answer about when coronavirus patients can be released and links to more detailed guidance.
The answer is directly stated in the first sentence that it is clinical status that determines discharge, and talks about what to do after returning home.

Reviewer ratings:
Excellent
Excellent