Coronavirus

Dept. of Health Says Two of Four Suspected Cases of Coronavirus Sent to be Tested Return Negative; There's Currently No Confirmed Cases in Territory

The Virgin Islands Department of Health said on Thursday that two out of four suspected cases -- called "Persons Under Investigation -- being tested for the coronavirus have returned negative, with two more pending.  The department also stressed that so far there have been no confirmed cases of the pathogen in the U.S. Virgin Islands. D.O.H. did not say when results for the remaining two cases would be available.  "This should not alarm the public, but be an indication of the high level of alert and stringent preventative measures the Health Department is proactively taking in response to this global outbreak" the department said. D.O.H. said that in light of increased worldwide spread, as an extra precaution, the testing criteria has been widened to include severe respiratory cases that did not travel to affected areas. "It is also important to note that influenza activity is also at high levels and may present with similar symptom," the department added. The D.O.H. release went o...