After the SARS warning was issued, people who had been in a SARS area or who had had contact with anyone or anything having to do with SARS, were classified as "suspected" cases if they developed a fever. If they had abnormal chest radiographs (showing whitish spots indicating the accumulation of white blood cells and body secretions) they were classified as "probable" cases.
SARS 警報發出後，民眾只要有到過疫區、接觸過和 SARS 相關的人或物者，一旦發燒，就會被列為「疑似病例」；如果進一步發現胸部 X 光出現「浸潤」（有局部發白現象，表示白血球及體液等在此集結），就被稱為「可能病例」。