Coronavirus reports are dismissed

REPORTS that a Pakistani patient tested positive for the novel coronavirus and then fled the hospital have been strongly denied by Bahrain's Health Ministry. An Arabic newspaper yesterday claimed the 55-year-old escaped after the virus was confirmed at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC). However, the Health Ministry has denied the report and stressed that the patient had tested negative. In a statement the ministry revealed it sent an ambulance to the King Fahad Causeway after being alerted to the case at 8.53am on Saturday. Normal "The Health Ministry sent an ambulance with an SMC team and checked the patient, who was found to be normal and not suffering from any coronavirus symptoms," it said. "At 10.20am the patient was transferred to the SMC Accident and Emergency Department as a precaution. "He was checked by an emergency specialist and was found not to have the virus and allowed to leave the hospital at 10.40am." The ministry added there had so far been no cases of the coronavirus recorded in Bahrain.