Patient triage and referral for resource-limited settings during community transmission.
Based on current estimates, 80% of confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can be treated as outpatients, up to 20% require hospitalization, and 5% need intensive care. Efficient triage of patients with COVID-19 at all health facility levels (primary, secondary and tertiary) will help the national response planning and case management system cope with patient influx, direct necessary medical resources to efficiently support the critically ill and protect the safety of health-care workers. The objective of this algorithm is to give overall guidance for the triage and referral of symptomatic COVID-19 patients. This algorithm provides a general framework to be adapted to local health systems in countries.