KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 -- Tests on those who had been in close contact with a senior government agency official who contracted the coronavirus disease have so far been negative, according to health authorities.

The Malaysiakini news portal reported Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah as saying that efforts are ongoing to trace others who were in close contact with the country's 26th confirmed Covid-19 patient.

"We will continue to trace the contacts.

"To date, none of the close contacts to patient 26 had tested positive," he was quoted saying.

Yesterday, Bernama reported Dr Noor Hisham as saying that the 26th case is a 52-year-old man who had visited Shanghai, China in mid-January.

Although it has not been officially...