The Regional Ministry of Health has sent a sample taken from a 32-year-old woman, currently admitted to Sant Joan d’Alacant Hospital, to the National Microbiology Center. The patient is under observation after having traveled on the same plane as a person who later died from hantavirus, and also on the cruise ship MV Hondius.

The sample was taken yesterday afternoon and sent to the national laboratory last night. The entry was registered at 3 AM, and PCR results are expected to be available within 24 to 48 hours.

The patient exhibits mild respiratory symptoms, primarily coughing, and is admitted to a negative pressure isolation room. The monitoring is being conducted according to the protocol established by the Ministry of Health.

According to the protocol, if the first PCR is negative, the test will be repeated after 24 hours. Should the second PCR also be negative, the patient would be considered a contact in quarantine and transferred to the Gómez Ulla Central Defense Hospital in Madrid. Conversely, if the PCR result is positive, the woman would be evacuated to the High-Level Isolation and Treatment Unit of La Fe Hospital in Valencia, as outlined in the health protocol.

The General Directorate of Public Health of the Regional Ministry of Health contacted the patient yesterday after receiving an alert through the European Alert System and in coordination with the Ministry of Health. Her transfer from home to the hospital was carried out in a specially equipped ambulance with security measures and a separate hospital circuit to ensure isolation and safety.