A US evacuee who was infected with the Wuhan coronavirus was accidentally released from a San Diego hospital, health officials said on Monday.
The patient, who was evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan last week, was initially brought to a quarantine facility with three others after they all tested negative for the virus.
But after further testing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discovered that one of the four patients tested positive for novel coronavirus after all. The person has since been sent back to the hospital for observation and isolation.
In an email statement obtained by the San Diego Union-Tribune, the university said the patient left UC San Diego Health "the same way they arrived, with all precautions taken."
This is the 13th confirmed case in the US and the seventh in California.
A US evacuee from China who was infected with the coronavirus was mistakenly released from a hospital in San Diego after tests initially found the person had not been infected, health officials said on Monday.
The patient, who arrived from Wuhan, China, at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego last week, was hospitalized with three others after showing symptoms of the virus.
After initial tests by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention returned negative for all four patients, they were released and taken to quarantine facilities at Miramar on Sunday, where they had been told they were to stay for 14 days.
After further testing by the CDC, however, one of the four patients tested positive for novel coronavirus and was sent back to UC San Diego Health for observation and isolation, CNN reported.
On Monday afternoon, another person was also transported to the UC San Diego Health center from Miramar for evaluation, UC San Diego Health said. It is unclear whether the second patient was one of the original four tested.
The two patients are said to be "doing well" with "minimal symptoms."
Neither has been named.
In an email statement, published by the San Diego Union-Tribune, the university said that even though the infected evacuee was accidentally released, all proper protocols were followed.
"The patient left UC San Diego Health the same way they arrived, with all precautions taken," it said. "The patient was wearing a mask per CDC instruction. The federal marshals transported the patient while wearing protection."
The patient left the hospital Sunday and returned Monday, the university's statement said. It is not clear how long the patient was on the base at Miramar, the San Diego Union-Tribune said, citing the university.
This is the 13th confirmed case in the US and the seventh in California. Other states with reported cases include Arizona, Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington, and Wisconsin.
On Monday alone, 103 people died of the virus in the Hubei province in China — a daily record. The national death toll has now surpassed 1,000, and the number of infected globally lies at more than 42,000.
For the latest case total, death toll, and travel information, you can follow Business Insider's updates here.
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