The guideline will help healthcare professionals identify people at high, moderate or low risk of hospital admission and tailor treatment accordingly.
The WHO said current variants of the COVID-19 virus tend to cause less severe illness, while immunity levels are higher as a result of vaccination, which has led to a lower risk of severe illness and death for most patients.
Risk rates for hospitals
The update – the 13th since September 2020 – includes new baseline risk estimates for hospitalization in patients with non-severe COVID-19.
The new ‘moderate risk’ category now includes groups previously considered high risk, such as the elderly and those with chronic conditions, disabilities and comorbidities of chronic diseases. Their estimated hospitalization rate is three percent.
Individuals with weaker immune systems are still at greater risk if they contract COVID-19, with an estimated hospitalization rate of six percent. The WHO said most people fall into the low-risk category, with a hospitalization rate of 0.5 percent.
Treatment recommendations
The UN health agency continues to strongly recommend the antiviral drug nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, known by the brand name Paxlovid, for patients with non-severe COVID-19 who are at high to moderate risk for hospital treatment.
If it is not available for high-risk patients, it is suggested to use molnupiravir or remdesivir instead.
The WHO also recommends against using molnupiravir and remdesivir in patients at moderate risk, “because the potential harm outweighs the limited benefits.”
It also does not recommend any antiviral therapy for people at low risk of hospitalization, saying that “symptoms such as fever and pain can be controlled with painkillers such as paracetamol.”
The update also recommends against the use of a new antiviral drug, VV116, for COVID-19 patients except in clinical trials.