Amaravati, Mar 5 (IANS): At least eight persons, including a German national, were admitted to hospitals in Andhra Pradesh with suspected coronavirus (Covid-19) symptoms, officials said on Wednesday.

Among them, seven persons had recently returned from various foreign countries. The samples of all the eight persons were sent to Gandhi Hospital, Hyderabad, for testing to know if they had contracted the virus.

Deputy Chief Minister and state Health Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas said that eight persons were admitted to hospitals during the last 24 hours. Five of them were kept in isolation at Chest Hospital in Visakhapatnam. Three of them had returned from Singapore and two from Bahrain.

A German traveller was under observation at a hospital in Vijayawada. A person, who had visited Muscat, is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Eluru. Earlier, a techie, who recently returned from South Korea, was kept in isolation at a hospital in Kakinada.

The minister said that the state has not registered a single positive Covid-19 case so far. Thus far, 281 passengers have been screened. At least 65 of them were advised self-isolation at home. The samples of two, who were admitted to the hospital, have tested negative. So far 11 samples from the state were tested and all the results have come negative.

Srinivas said the government had taken all necessary measures to contain the possible spread of the virus. He also urged people to not panic.

The government has arranged isolation wards in hospitals across all 13 districts in the state. He said the health authorities in the state were following all the guidelines issued by the Centre.