Two Tayside residents who were taken into testing have been cleared of the deadly coronavirus.
The patients, who were taken into hospital earlier this week after exhibiting the flu-like symptoms caused by the disease, have been found to be free of the virus which has infected over 500 people in China and taken over 20 lives.
The epidemic has caused the Chinese government to cut travel to several cities in the country, including Wuhan, which has a partnership with the University of Dundee.
Fourteen people in the UK were tested for the virus, with five confirmed negative and nine still awaiting results, Public Health England (PHE) said on Thursday night.
But it has today been confirmed that the tests for these individuals have come back negative.
Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Catherine Calderwood said: “Scotland is well prepared for these types of outbreaks – we have a proven track record of dealing with challenging health issues and the UK was one of the first countries in the world to develop a test for the new virus.
“I am being kept fully informed about the precautionary steps being taken, including timely updates on the patients who are currently being tested.”
