A Harborview Patient Is Being Tested For Novel Coronavirus

SEATTLE, WA — A person who arrived at Harborview Medical Center with respiratory symptoms Wednesday afternoon will be tested for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. According to a hospital spokesperson, the patient was in satisfactory condition and under monitoring in isolation before being discharged Thursday afternoon. Harborview said the person would be under home monitoring by King County Public Health staff until test results were available.

Testing typically takes 24 to 48 hours to complete.

Wednesday's announcement marks the fifth patient to undergo coronavirus testing in Seattle in recent days. Three University of Washington students were screened for the virus Sunday after exhibiting potential symptoms upon returning from Wuhan, China, where the outbreak originated. Test results for all three students returned negative.

Another person with possible symptoms checked into UW Medical Center Northwest Tuesday afternoon. Test results in that case have not been released.

According to the latest update from the state Department of Health, fewer than 20 people have been tested for the virus in Washington. So far, just one person has tested positive: a Snohomish County man who was diagnosed with the first known case in the U.S. He remains in isolation at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett in satisfactory condition.

The virus first surfaced in China's Hubei Province in Dec. 2019. Since then, more than 7,700 people have been infected, and at least 170 have died. In the United States, just five people in four states have tested positive for the virus. Until Thursday, there had been no confirmed cases of the illness spreading person-to-person domestically.

Symptoms share similarities to other viruses in the coronavirus group, including a runny nose, headaches, coughing, a sore throat and fever. In some cases overseas, the virus led to pneumonia.

Despite the relatively low risk, health officials in Washington are working around the clock to monitor any potential sign of the virus. In a press conference in Seattle Wednesday, Gov. Jay Inslee said more than 200 workers from state and local agencies were involved in the response.

"This is one of the largest public health care mobilizations in the history of the state of Washington," Inslee said.

Coordinated statewide efforts are being managed from the State Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray, south of Tacoma.

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