A resident showing signs of novel coronavirus COVID-19 has tested negative, the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department confirmed late Thursday.
The patient showed mild symptoms but was recently in contact with travelers from an area with widespread transmission of coronavirus.
County Public Health decided to test the individual “out of an abundance of caution,” according to Health Officer Penny Borenstein.
The resident has now recovered. None of the patient’s contacts have symptoms of coronavirus at this time, according to County Public Health.
A specimen from the patient was sent to the California Department of Public Health Laboratory. The county expected to receive results of the test this weekend but heard back sooner than expected, according to a news release.
San Luis Obispo County is expected to be capable of testing for coronavirus within the next two days, the news release said.
County Public Health will notify residents “if and when we do have a confirmed case in our county,” Borenstein said in the news release.
Coronavirus symptoms are similar to those of the flu, including fever, coughing and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
While the risk in San Luis Obispo remains low, Cal Poly has activated its Emergency Operations Center to manage the coronavirus threat.
The university has suspended study abroad programs in South Korea and Italy due to the virus. In addition, travelers to China, South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran are being asked to delay their return to campus for 14 days after returning, according to a campus-wide email.