What to Know
- A patient at Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, New Jersey was being treated for a "suspected case" of the novel coronavirus, Hackensack Meridian Health's chief physician executive said
- A blood or respiratory sample came back negative by the CDC, according to the spokeswoman
- The patient was kept in isolation with all safety protocols in effect, she noted
A patient at Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, New Jersey has tested negative for the novel coronavirus, officials said.
The hospital was treating the patient as if he or she has COVID-19, a hospital spokeswoman told NBC 4 New York on Saturday.
"There are no other persons in New Jersey who are currently approved and awaiting testing for the virus that causes COVID-19," the New Jersey Department of Health said Saturday.
The test results were announced just hours after a patient in New York City also tested negative for novel coronavirus. There are no active cases under investigation, health officials said.
The patient is being kept in isolation with all safety protocols in effect, the hospital spokeswoman noted.
Hackensack Meridian Health's Chief Physician Executive Daniel W. Varga on Saturday said the hospital's Infection Prevention team is working with New Jersey's Department of Health to care for the patient, "in accordance with protocols provided by [the CDC]," adding that the patient had a "suspected case" of COVID-19.
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"Please rest assured that our health care team is taking every precaution in caring for this isolated patient and determining an accurate diagnosis," Varga said in the statement.
"We continue to screen patients with appropriate symptoms for travel history to China, Italy, Iran, Japan and South Korea," he added.
A New York City resident who recently came back from a trip to Italy tested negative COVID-19, officials announced Saturday.
The New Jersey Public Health Department said Friday that a lab in West Trenton had been approved to test for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont also said that a state lab will be able to conduct testing shortly.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Saturday said New York State would begin testing for the novel coronavirus as well.
In a teleconference, the CDC said the goal is to have testing available in all 50 states by the end of next week. When presses about which states and places have the capacity, the CDC would not give specifics citing the evolving situation.
So far in the tri-state, there have been no confirmed cases of the illness that has now been found on every continent except Antarctica.
