Freedom of Information Request: 0745 2020/21

Please could you tell me the following:

When did you start testing for coronavirus?

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham – 23/03/2020

Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull Hospitals (HGS) – the Public Health England lab at HGS started testing on 13/02/2020

What criteria do you use to test patients

We test all patients who attend the Emergency Department for Covid-19

How long would you keep a patient in hospital for with suspected coronavirus

This depends on their clinical presentation and improvement. We aim to discharge patients when they are clinically stable and to a safe home environment where possible.

Would you give a coronavirus patient an antibiotic drip and for how long

We do, and it depends on their clinical presentations and management requirements.