FAIRFAX, VA — A student at George Mason University has tested negative for the new coronavirus, a second northern Virginia patient is awaiting test results, the Virginia Department of Health said on Friday. The novel coronavirus infection originated last month in Wuhan, China. There are currently seven people in the United States who have tested positive for the virus; on Thursday the World Health Organization declared coronavirus an international public health emergency.

The George Mason student does not live on campus and is "self-isolating," the university said in a statement. The student had recently traveled to China.

State officials said results from tests performed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta showed the student does not have the infection. "At this time, Virginia continues to have no confirmed cases of Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV," the state health department said.



Two people in central Virginia were tested for the new virus and did not have it, but a third person in that part of the Commonwealth is now being tested by the Centers for Disease Control, state health officials said Friday. In total, five people in Virginia have been tested for the new coronavirus; three have tested negative for the disease and two are awaiting test results. Additional cleaning routines in public areas and communicable disease prevention planning continue throughout George Mason University, the college's health services said online.

"It is extremely important that anyone who suspects illness caused by a novel communicable disease, such as coronavirus, seek medical attention and disclose their travel history," uniersity officials said. "This information is vitally important in helping public health officials coordinate care for suspected cases and orchestrating a public health response to protect our community." The first case of human-to-human coronavirus transmission in the United States — affecting a patient in Illinois — was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ABC News reports that the person-to-person spread of the disease in the U.S. prompted WHO officials to issue the international alert.



The death toll in China from the virus has risen to at least 210, with about 9,856 cases of the disease confirmed in more than a dozen countries, CNN reported Friday night. The seven U.S. cases had been confirmed in Illinois, Washington state, Arizona, and California; three of the patients are in California.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory urging Americans to avoid nonessential travel to China due to the spread of the virus.



The new virus is called 2019-nCoV by disease experts. "VDH is closely monitoring and investigating reports of illness potentially associated with novel coronavirus," according to the department's website. "A Person Under Investigation (PUI) is an individual who meets both clinical and epidemiologic criteria for 2019-nCoV. The information gathered during this investigation helps public health determine if they have novel coronavirus, or if their symptoms may be caused by another respiratory pathogen.