MANILA, Philippines — More than half of the current number of patients under observation for the 2019 coronavirus infection that causes the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have tested negative, for the virus, the Department of Health (DOH) said.
According to the DOH website, 196 of the 382 suspected virus carriers have already tested negative. Another 183 are awaiting test results as of noontime Tuesday.
The three other patients are the 44-year-old Chinese man who died on Feb. 1, his partner, a 38-year-old Chinese woman who was already discharged on Saturday, and the 60-year-old Chinese woman who already returned to China.
Of the patients who already tested negative, 111 have been discharged.
Two consecutive tests that yield negative results are needed before patients can be discharged from hospitals after initially being suspected of having contracted the virus.
In China, the number of fatalities due to the epidemic jumped to 1,110 on Wednesday. More than 44,200 cases have been confirmed across China.
The deadly virus is now named Coronavirus disease or COVID-19, as announced by World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday.
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