31 suspected MERS cases tested negative in HK

People who came into close contact with the South Korean MERS patient arrive at Lady MacLehose Holiday Village in Sai Kung, where they will spend two weeks in quarantine, in Hong Kong, China, May 30, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

Hong Kong - Hong Kong's health authorities on Thursday said 31 out of 33 suspected cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) reported in the 24 hours till Wednesday noon have tested negative.

Controller of the Center for Health Protection Leung Ting-hung said at a press briefing this morning that no confirmed case of MERS has been found in Hong Kong so far.

Starting from Thursday, the center will update the number of suspected cases of MERS twice a day, Leung said, adding that transparency will be maintained when notifying the public.

He urged the public not to forward unconfirmed information about the disease on the internet, which would lead to unnecessary panic and could be violating the law.

A suspected case involving a 22-year-old woman who attended a private clinic in Tsing Yi, the New Territories of Hong Kong, on Wednesday was among the 31 negative cases. The case had triggered panic in town.

Fourteen new confirmed cases were reported in South Korea on Thursday, bringing the total number to 122. Most of them involved patients visiting hospitals or medical institutes in the country.