The Ministry of Health has developed the following case definition for COVID-19 based on expert advice from our Technical Advisory Group. The case definition takes into account both the epidemiology of the virus as well as its clinical presentation. (Government of New Zealand)

Familiarize yourself with the interim national case definition for COVID-19 to consider the possibility of COVID-19 in persons with relevant clinical and exposure history. (Government of Canada)

A case definition includes criteria for person, place, time, and clinical features. These should be specific to the outbreak under investigation. Case definitions are often further categorized by the degree of certainty regarding the diagnosis as “suspected”, “probable”, or “confirmed”. (Centers for Disease Control)