Texas A&M, Baylor University Students Test Negative for Coronavirus

Two university students in Texas tested negative for the novel coronavirus. Public health officials disclosed the testing of the Texas A&M and Baylor University students late last week.

Health officials in Brazos and McLennan Counties confirmed to Breitbart Texas that the students they tested for the novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, are not infected. The results of both tests came back over the weekend, officials stated.

In response to an inquiry by Breitbart Texas on Monday morning, Waco-McLennan County Health District officials said, “The results are negative. The student does not have the virus.”

In the meantime, medical supply stores in Central Texas reported a shortage of medical masks after word came out on Friday about the possibility of coronavirus infected patients in Texas, CNN reported.

On Sunday night, Texas Governor Greg Abbott also tweeted a message indicating the Texas A&M student had been cleared from being infected with the coronavirus. “GOOD NEWS: Texas A&M student doesn’t have coronavirus. But Texas will remain vigilant,” the governor tweeted.

The governor said he will be meeting with state health officials on Monday to make certain that resources are available to respond to “the dangerous #coronavirus.”

On Monday morning, Baylor College of Medicine National School of Tropical Medicine Dean Dr. Peter Hotez told Breitbart Texas he is encouraged by the low number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. so far.

“I think things look increasingly dire in Central China,” Dr. Hotez said in an email to Breitbart Texas. “But in the U.S., it is a different situation.”

“We’ll continue to see cases of the n coronavirus in the U.S., but I don’t believe this will become a serious public health threat in America.”

Dr. Hotez cautioned, “The only thing that can go wrong is if indeed the Chinese leadership is correct that the virus can be transmitted from an infected person even if he or she is not yet sick. In this case we could see considerably more cases.”

Over the weekend, China’s National Health Commission Minister Ma Xiaowei told reporters during a press briefing on Sunday said the incubation period for the novel coronavirus is one to 14 days, Breitbart Texas reported. In a shocking continuation, the health commissioner said the virus is contagious during the incubation period — before patients exhibit symptoms of illness.

This is a dramatic difference from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2002 and 2003 when only patients exhibiting symptoms could spread the disease.

Two additional Texas patients are being tested for the coronavirus, NBCDFW reported over the weekend. The Texas Department of State Health Services told the NBC affiliate they would not disclose the location of patients being tested unless the results came back positive.

So far, five cases involving the coronavirus have been confirmed in the U.S. The fifth confirmed case is located in Maricopa County, Arizona, Breitbart News reported on Sunday. Two cases are located in southern California, one in Chicago, and the original case in Washington state.