At least 48 tests for the novel coronavirus have been sent out in Hidalgo County, and 15 have come back negative, county spokesman Carlos Sanchez said Thursday afternoon.

There are still no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Hidalgo County, Sanchez said. The other 33 tests are still pending results.

Those figures, however, are only for tests that have been sent to public testing labs in Harlingen and Austin, he added.

“There have been several private test kits, and we still haven’t gotten a full overview of how many have been sent out,” Sanchez said.

Those private tests could’ve been sent for testing via two avenues. There are private labs that are sending their tests to other private labs in California, and there are doctors who may be able to perform those tests at their offices.

“There are certain doctors, we’re not sure who they were, that were able to get test kits from private labs,” Sanchez said.

The first round of results came in earlier this week and it typically takes four to five days to get results.

Most of the 48 cases that were sent for testing were reportedly sent by doctors, as opposed to hospitals, he indicated, because those who are sick are being asked to go to the doctor’s office rather than the hospital, unless they are experiencing an emergency.

Over in Starr County, one of three tests have come back negative with two pending.

Monitor staff writer Berenice Garcia contributed to this report.