Patient with deadly virus in Arizona released from isolation

PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona man was released from isolation 26 days after he tested positive for a deadly virus that originated in China, county health officials said.

The patient, who has ties to Arizona State University in Tempe, is no longer being infected by the new coronavirus, the Maricopa County Department of Health confirmed Friday.

The male patient is in his 20s and has been in isolation since January after returning from Wuhan, the central Chinese city that’s the epicenter of the epidemic, the Arizona Republic reported.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted multiple tests on the man before his release, which all came out negative.

“We would like to thank this individual for his patience and commitment to public health during his prolonged isolation with very mild illness,” county health officials said in a statement. “There is no risk of COVID-19 to the community from this individual, and we encourage his friends, family and the community to support him as he transitions back to his everyday activities.”

People who have had close contact with the patient have not shown any signs to date of the illness known as COVID-19. Most of them have passed the 14-day monitoring period without displaying any symptoms.

The virus has sickened more than 78,000 in 29 countries worldwide. More than 2,300 people have died.