Health

Lab tests negative for coronavirus in 2 suspected Minnesota cases

A woman speaks at a podium as two others stand behind her.
Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm speaks at a press conference about coronavirus on Friday, Jan. 24. The department said Monday the two possible Minnesota cases of coronavirus have come back negative.
Evan Frost | MPR News

Laboratory results from two possible Minnesota cases of coronavirus have come back negative, meaning that no cases from the December outbreak of the disease in Wuhan, China, have been confirmed here.

State officials on Friday said they were monitoring people who’d traveled to China within the past two weeks and had developed flu-like symptoms. Samples from those two cases were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for analysis. They came back negative over the weekend, the Minnesota Department of Health said.

The CDC on Monday confirmed new coronavirus cases in Arizona and California. Minnesota officials say the virus poses a very low risk here as of now, but that Minnesota is staying vigilant as it spreads elsewhere.