A Baylor University student who was tested for coronavirus after returning to Texas from China does not have the same deadly virus that has killed dozens of people and shutdown a city in China, health officials said Monday.
The Baylor student was declared last week to be the second suspected case of the coronavirus in Texas. The first case was an unnamed student at Texas A&M University who traveled from Wuhan, China, where the virus originated. Test results show neither student has the virus.
Both patients' samples were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offices in Atlanta for testing.
There are no other suspected cases of the virus on the Baylor University campus, according to a release from the University. But on Friday, Texas Department of State Health officials confirmed two other suspected cases in the state that are being tested. However, officials did not provide locations for those suspects.
As of Monday morning, at least 80 people who contracted the illness 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.
This piece was originally published in The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
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