Bangalore: A patient admitted to a private hospital with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-like symptom two days ago was discharged on April 24 after a blood test reported negative to the virus.

"The patient's blood sample was tested and it has shown negative to the SARS virus... He was discharged in the evening," Manipal Hospital administrator Dr A Malathi said.

The hospital authorities who have developed a diagnostic kit for SARS had sent the patient's (an Indian national from Toronto in Canada) blood sample for a SARS virus test that showed negative.

"The tests were carried out on the blood and sputum sample of two patients, admitted to the isolation units of the hospital. Both patients, one who had arrived from Canada and other from Singapore, have been discharged after the tests showed negative results and patients were asymptomatic." Malathi added.

PTI