43 people suspected of carrying coronavirus tested negative: PM aide

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza says 43 people suspected to be infected with the novel coronavirus after return from China tested negative for the deadly viral infection.

“43 tests have been performed on samples taken from suspected patients who recently returned from China. Alhamdolilah all of them are negative. This includes also a sample of a student from Khairpur,” he tweeted on Saturday.

208/ #coronavirus tests update: 43 tests have been performed on samples taken from suspected patients who recently returned from China. Alhamdolilah all of them are negative. This includes also a sample of a student from Khairpur.

— Zafar Mirza (@zfrmrza) February 8, 2020

Shahzeb Ali Rahouja, hailing from Rahouja village of Pir-jo-Goth, district Khairpur, had arrived in Karachi from China last week and was later declared to have the symptoms of coronavirus.

He was shifted to a taluka hospital, where the doctors and medical staff had refused to provide treatment. Later, he was shifted to the Civil Hospital Khairpur.

Read More: Khairpur student suspected of having coronavirus tests negative

The Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) director today confirmed that Rahouja tested negative for the deadly infection.

Shahzeb was studying petroleum at the Chinese university around 1,000 kilometers away from the Wuhan city of Central China’s Hubei province.