The first test for novel coronavirus (2019 nCoV) done on the 31-year-old Chinese woman in Bohol who has been deemed a person under investigation (PUI) for the fatal disease returned negative.

This was confirmed by Doctor Cesar Tomas Lopez, spokesperson of the Capitol’s anti-nCoV Technical Working Group on Wednesday afternoon immediately after receiving an official correspondence from the Department of Health’s (DOH) Epidemiology Bureau.

The first swab sample was sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City on Saturday.

The patient who remains in confinement at an isolation room has been informed of the results, said Lopez.

The health official however clarified that she will not yet be discharged from isolation pending the result of the second swab test which was taken on Sunday.

Two swab tests should be taken 24 hours apart and should both come out negative for a person to be cleared as a PUI for nCoV.

“Ang policy man gud ani, there has to be two successive negative samples. Gapaabot pa ko sa second sample kay protocol man ni,” said Lopez.

Lopez nonetheless saw the result as a positive development.

“Usually kung negative ang first sample, negative na g’yud siya, good news na gud ni kaayo,” he said.

The result for the second test is expected to be released within the day or on Thursday.

It was earlier noted that the patient was already getting better starting Sunday as her symptoms subsided.

She was confined starting Friday last week after exhibiting flu-like symptoms.

Lopez has clarified that the woman is the lone PUI in Bohol contrary to unconfirmed reports circulated over social media indicating that there are two.

The DOH also officially reported that there is only one PUI in the province.

Meanwhile, as this developed, the DOH confirmed Wednesday afternoon the country’s third nCoV case which involved a 60-year-old Chinese woman.