Having some evidence-based guidelines on when a COVID-positive patient needs hospitalisation is likely to be welcomed by the GP currently managing these self-isolating patients.

The advice outlining the distinction between mild, moderate and severe disease is part of the new government-sponsored ‘living guidelines’¹, put out by a coalition of Australian expert  professional groups that include organisations such as Cochrane Australia, the Australian College of Emergency Medicine, the two GP colleges (RACGP and ACRRM) as well as many others.