Test results for a George Mason University student who was being tested for the novel coronavirus have come back negative, the Virginia Department of Health said Friday.
“The first person brought in” from Northern Virginia, on Monday, has been cleared, a spokeswoman from the department told WTOP. That person was later identified by the university as an off-campus George Mason student who had been self-isolating while awaiting results.
In a statement Friday, the university said the student had been cleared. They added that travel precautions are still in place, and that there are currently no Mason students studying in China.
“Ideally the university does not acknowledge that a member of our community has become the subject of a health department investigation, out of concern for privacy,” the university added. “In this case, the abundance of information on social media and common knowledge that the suspected case was affiliated with Mason led the university to this decision.”
A second person in Northern Virginia was placed on the pending list on Thursday.
Meanwhile, in D.C., an additional patient is being tested, while another has been cleared.
Another person in central Virginia is awaiting test results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta. Earlier this week, two people from central Virginia had already tested negative.
Coronavirus: What you need to know
There are no confirmed cases of the virus in the District, Maryland or Virginia. One patient is still awaiting results in the District, while Maryland’s lone patient was cleared Thursday.
To keep up with the latest on coronavirus statuses within the region, check out each health department’s website:
As of Friday, more than 9,500 people have been infected worldwide, and 213 people have died, mostly in the central Hubei province in China, where the coronavirus outbreak is centered, The Associated Press reported.
Also on Friday, three major U.S. airlines — Delta, American and united — said they’re suspending all flights to China.
See a real-time map of the outbreak from the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
Patients are tested for the coronavirus when they are sick and have been determined by their doctor to have either been in contact with someone who has the virus, or has traveled to an area where the virus has hit.
The Associated Press and WTOP’s Mike Murillo contributed to this report.
