Taiwan's 10 coronavirus patients in stable condition

Taipei, Feb. 2 (CNA) The 10 people in Taiwan confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus that has spread through China are in stable condition, and one of them could be discharged from the hospital next week.

No virus was detected in two separate tests of samples from that patient and the person is expected to be discharged from the hospital as soon as next week, said Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) at a press briefing Saturday.

Chen would not identify which patient it was.

The minister, who also heads Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), said that as of 4 p.m. Saturday, there were 964 people suspected of being sickened by the coronavirus, including 10 confirmed to be infected and 746 who were ruled out as being infected.

The rest are in quarantine, with 79 of them having tested negative for the viral infection in a preliminary laboratory examination, according to the CECC.

Meanwhile, 492 people who came in contact with the 10 confirmed cases of the virus are currently being monitored. Of them, 34 have reported symptoms and six are still awaiting conclusive test results, the CECC said.

The novel coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan last December and has now been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization.

As of Sunday morning, China had recorded 14,380 confirmed cases and 304 deaths, while nearly 160 confirmed cases have been reported in other countries around the world, including 10 in Taiwan.