In a major relief to the health authorities on Tuesday, the samples collected from two patients kept in isolation at the Government Medical College Hospital were tested negative for novel coronavirus.

The samples were examined at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Alappuzha.

Meanwhile, one more person who developed symptoms of the disease was admitted to the isolation ward of the hospital here on Tuesday.

A sample of the person has been sent to the NIV, Alappuzha.

Besides the patients at the hospital, as many as 81 persons who recently returned from China and Hong Kong are kept under observation in the district. The health authorities have been reviewing their status on a daily basis.