In addition to the seven released, another 10 people are due to leave the hospital today and tomorrow, according to Senior Colonel Zhang Yanling, who is president of the hospital, which is under the management of army medical workers.

Liu Zhiquan, a 38-year-old Beijing resident among yesterday's first batch of departing patients, said: "The medical services provided by the hospital and my good psychological condition are two of the major factors in my recovery."

As Liu did not have medical insurance, all of his fees during his stay in hospitals have been met by the State. The same government cover is provided to farmers who contract the deadly disease.

Liu and the others who were also released from hospital yesterday are now required to stay at home in quarantine for 10 days, according to Zhang.

All of the seven patients - five Beijing residents and two migrant workers - have met the standards imposed by the Ministry of Health in regards to being considered healthy, according to hospital vice-president Zhou Xianzhi.

Zhou said they had not had fevers for at least eight days and the pathological changes in their lungs had mostly disappeared.

Some community members are concerned for their personal safety after hearing of the release of former SARS sufferers.

For example, some work units have prohibited former patients from returning to work, according to a hospital source.

"Although some coronavirus can be detected in the excrement of recovered SARS patients, there is no proof that the former patients can infect others," said Zhang Haicheng, a doctor with Renmin Hospital, which is affiliated with Peking University.

Zhang's view echoed the opinions of sources from the Hospital Authority of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, who said earlier this month that there had been no relapses among recovered SARS patients.

Although 12 former SARS patients have been readmitted to hospitals, it was because of other health problems and not the killer virus.

Experts have advised that recovered patients still need to wear masks and avoid close contact with family members for up to a month after leaving hospital.

Disinfecting toilets is of great importance, especially in the homes of recovered SARS sufferers.

(China Daily May 16, 2003)