Update: Patient at Northwest Hospital tests negative for coronavirus

UPDATE (Jan. 31, 2020): A  hospital spokesperson says the patient has tested negative for Wuhan coronavirus and has been discharged.

Original story: 

SEATTLE -- A patient at Northwest Hospital is being tested for possible coronavirus, a UW Medicine spokesperson said Tuesday.

The person was admitted Tuesday afternoon and is listed in satisfactory condition. The patient was moved into "appropriate isolation" away from other patients, the spokesperson said.

The testing is a precautionary measure and health officials believe it's unlikely the results will come back positive.

The hospital is working with Public Health - Seattle & King County and expects test results in the next 1-2 days.

Nearly 6,000 cases of Wuhan coronavirus have been confirmed in China as of Wednesday, with the death toll topping 130.

Five cases have been confirmed in the United States, including one in a Snohomish County man.

All of the people infected in the United States had recently traveled to Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday announced it was expanding screenings of international travelers and taking other precautions but for now, they insist the risk to Americans is very low.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is one of the 18 U.S. airports now screening passengers traveling from China for the virus.

The University of Washington said Monday that three students who recently traveled to Wuhan were being tested for coronavirus. As of Tuesday, two of the three students had tested negative and the third student's test results were pending.

The Associated Press contributed to this report