A positive sign for one of the five coronavirus patients in British Columbia.

The province’s Medical Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, says the first person in the province who developed a case of the virus is now out of isolation. This patient, a man in his 50’s who had travelled to Wuhan, China, has recovered following two negative tests for the virus 24 hours apart.

“As of the weekend we had our second negative test, so he is considered ‘cured’ and no longer required to be in isolation, and I think that’s very good news,” Henry said.

In all, there have been five cases of COVID-19 in the province since the outbreak began late last year in China.

“Our second, third, and fourth cases are now asymptomatic and we fully expect their testing will come back negative in the next few days as well,” added Henry, referring to a Lower Mainland woman in her 50’s and two relatives who were visiting from China’s Hubei province.

The fifth case – a woman in her 30’s who had recently travelled to the Shanghai area, still has symptoms according to Dr. Henry, who says she is stable and doing well in isolation at her home somewhere in the B.C. Interior.

Health officials say they have spoken with everyone who came in close contact with all five of B.C.’s identified cases, with none showing symptoms of the respiratory virus that has sickened more than 70,000 people — most of them in mainland China — and caused more than 1,800 deaths.