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A patient in Belfast who was suspected of having the coronavirus, which has killed 41 people in China, has tested negative for the condition.

The man, who arrived from China last weekend, had been admitted to the Royal Victoria Hospital.

It was understood he had travelled from Wuhan, where the infection outbreak began.

The Department of Health confirmed the man does not have the virus and said the "risk to the public remains low".

It said it was continuing to "closely monitor" the outbreak.

Northern Ireland's chief medical officer Michael McBride said he was "being kept fully informed about the steps being taken to protect the public by the Public Health Agency and I am providing the (health) minister with updates".

A new hospital is being built in Wuhan - home to about 11 million people - where the outbreak began, to try to deal with the increasing number of patients.

There are currently 1,287 confirmed cases in China, 41 of whom have died.

The virus has now spread to Europe, with three cases confirmed in France.

It has been confirmed that five people are being tested for the virus in Scotland.