Four Suspected Cases of Coronavirus in Ethiopia Test Negative

ADDIS ABEBA – Three Ethiopians and one Chinese guy that were suspected to have contracted the coronavirus infection announced to have tested negative for the infection.

Ministry of Health reported on Monday that four people were placed under isolation and their blood samples were sent to South Africa for further testing.

“We just received the results of the 4 suspected cases for the novel Coronavirus and they are all negative,” said Lia Tadesse, State Minister of Health, in a twitted message today.

“There’re NO confirmed cases in Ethiopia,” she added.

The Ethiopian Public Health Institute said there are still four more cases in isolation center and awaiting results of their tests.

Last week, health authorities released four other Ethiopians after their blood samples, tested at a national institution and also at a South African laboratory, proved negative for coronavirus.

All had entered into the country via Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in flights from China.

Close to 50, 000 travelers from China and its neighboring nations have been examined at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airports.

The Ministry of Health announced it has expanded surveillance checkpoints from Airports to border areas in order to prevent possible entry of coronavirus from other countries.

The centers have been expanded to 27 land routes and border areas of the country including the one Dire Dawa city airport and Ethio-Djibouti gateway, officials said.

WHO has already declared the virus a global health emergency after Coronavirus-induced death toll surpassed 400, and more than 24, 500 infected with the virus.

Countries including Australia, Japan and the US have imposed travel restrictions on those who have recently traveled to China and over 10,000 flights to the country have been canceled since the outbreak.

Ethiopian Airlines, however, has kept on operating its flights to and from China.