Test is negative for pending person under investigation for COVID-19, March 2

PORTLAND, Ore.—The second individual to have a test for COVID-19, with results pending yesterday, has come back negative, the Oregon Health Authority is reporting. This negative result is a separate and unrelated to the state’s first, presumptive case of the virus yesterday, which was reported based on a test performed by the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory. OHA continues approving testing for persons under investigation, a number that’s likely to increase following the report of the state’s first presumptive case and new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that calls for testing of anyone experiencing severe respiratory symptoms. There now are seven pending test results for persons under investigation for COVID-19. Four tests have been completed—three were negative, and the fourth became Oregon’s first confirmed case. Eighty-eight persons are under monitoring.