MANILA — A 36-year-old foreigner who tested positive for MERS after arriving in the Philippines from the Middle East is now free of the virus and will leave the hospital this weekend, officials said Friday. Department of Health spokesman Lyndon Lee Suy said the foreigner's close contact, a Filipino woman, is also well but will remain hospitalized until she completes a 14-day quarantine period on July 18. Passengers seated near the foreigner on his flight were traced and none manifested any symptoms, Lee Suy added. They are among 112 contacts of the foreigner who have been traced and are being monitored daily by health authorities until they complete the 14-day period. Lee Suy said two laboratory tests conducted on the foreigner within 48 hours were negative for the virus, leading authorities to conclude that he “is free of the virus and would not be able to infect others as well.” Officials have not disclosed the nationality of the patient, who arrived in the Philippines on June 19 from Saudi Arabia but also stayed in Dubai. He left on a second trip before exhibiting any symptoms and returned to the Philippines, said the officials, who did not disclose where he went. — AP
