A resident of Brazos County who was tested for coronavirus after returning to Texas from China is not afflicted with the same deadly strain that has killed dozens of people, health officials said Sunday.
“The Brazos County Health District has received the results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the suspected case of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus,” Sara Mendez, Brazos County Health District health promotion manager, said in a brief statement. “The results are negative for 2019-nCoV.”
#Coronavirus update.
— Texas DSHS (@TexasDSHS) January 24, 2020
No confirmed Texas coronavirus cases at this time. DSHS will promptly announce any confirmed #Texas cases.
DSHS stresses that while this is a new respiratory virus, we know how to prevent respiratory viruses. Just like with the flu, simple steps protect. pic.twitter.com/2qm89kAo6y
The Texas A&M University student recently traveled to Wuhan, China, where the deadly virus originated, health officials said last week. A student at Baylor University in Waco is also being tested after traveling to China but health officials haven't received those results, said Kelly Craine, a spokeswoman with the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District.
As of Sunday evening, 80 people who have contracted the illness have died, the New York Times reported. The deaths have been confined to China but health officials in several other countries have confirmed cases, including five in the United States.
The confirmed cases in the United States are in Arizona, California, Illinois and Washington state. More cases are expected but U.S. health officials said risk to the general public remains low, the New York Times reported.
*Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the latest information on the number of fatalities in China.
Disclosure: Texas A&M University and Baylor University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
The Texas Tribune provided this story.
