Texas A&M student tested negative for coronavirus case in Brazos County

Monday, January 27, 2020

Officials say a sample has been sent to the CDC in Atlanta for testing, and they should have results within 24 hours of testing.

BRYAN, Texas (KTRK) -- The Brazos County Health District has finished their investigation on a suspected case of the coronavirus.

Sunday afternoon, Texas A&M confirmed that the students' test results came back negative for the deadly virus.

"We are very pleased with this news and grateful to those community caregivers involved for their expertise, proactive action and compassion demonstrated in treating our student," said Dr. Martha Dannenbaum, director of A&M's Student Health Services.

Authorities say the student traveled from Wuhan, China, where coronavirus originated, within the last 14 days.

There have been at least 56 reported deaths in China associated with the virus, with nearly 2,000 people infected with the new coronavirus in Wuhan.

"We are grateful for training and expertise that contributed to handling this case," associate vice president for Safety and Security, Chris Meyer said.

In a press conference, Brazos County Health Authority Dr. Eric Wilke said the patient had mild symptoms.

He described the patient as a student in his 20s to 30s.

Wilke said the patient took himself to a Bryan/College Station-area emergency room when he began noticing symptoms.

Officials say a sample was sent to the CDC in Atlanta for testing.

This is not the first possible case of coronavirus in the United States.

This most recent case was reported from Arizona. A total of three new cases were announced Sunday, the other two out of California.

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The latest patient in Arizona is a member of the Arizona State University community who does not live in university housing, officials said.

The country's third case was also confirmed Sunday in neighboring Orange County, California, the OC Health Care Agency's Communicable Disease Control Division announced in a press release Sunday.

The Arizona patient is said to not be severely ill and is currently in isolation to keep the illness from spreading.

Researchers and doctors at UTMB's Galveston National Laboratory worked on a vaccine for Ebola, and now they're preparing to tackle this deadly virus that's already reached the U.S.

In addition, with flu season in full swing, health officials reminded people to take the precautions they should observe every year at this time.

The first travel-related case in the United States was a person from Washington state who had recently traveled to Wuhan, China.

According to the CDC, coronavirus can be spread among people through the air by coughing and sneezing, close personal contact such as shaking hands and touching a surface with the virus then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands.

Symptoms of coronavirus include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and sore throat.

Children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems may be subject to more severe symptoms, including death.

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