A 32-year-old woman being monitored at a hospital in Alicante has tested negative for hantavirus following a second PCR test, according to a statement from the Generalitat. The National Microbiology Centre confirmed on Saturday that the patient’s initial test was negative, and the follow-up test conducted 24 hours later has now yielded the same result.
Despite the negative results, the woman has entered a period of quarantine and remains admitted to the hospital. This follows an update to the initial criteria by the Ministry of Health, which informed the Department of Health on Sunday morning, May 10th, that the patient should remain in isolation. She is being held in a negative pressure room at the Alicante hospital, with a third diagnostic test scheduled to take place in 48 hours. The Ministry has indicated that a joint assessment will be made following that next step.
The public health department first contacted the woman last Friday, May 8th, after receiving a notification via the European Alert System and coordinating with the Ministry of Health. Although she is currently asymptomatic, she had previously displayed mild respiratory symptoms, including a cough, after travelling on a flight with a passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship who later died.
The Department of Health stated that they activated all necessary resources from the outset to ensure epidemiological surveillance and the safety of the public and healthcare staff. The woman was transferred from her home to the hospital in Alicante on Friday evening via an ambulance equipped with specific safety protocols. Upon arrival, she was moved to her room through a secure circuit separate from other patients and staff, ensuring her isolation in a negative pressure capsule was maintained throughout.
