In Maharashtra, samples of nine out of the 12 people kept under observation in government-run hospitals for possible exposure to novel coronavirus have tested negative. Dr. Pradeep Awate, the state's disease surveillance officer, said yesterday that 26 of the Indian nationals who are being evacuated from Wuhan in China are from Maharashtra.<br />'' <br />'' Dr. Pradeep Awate said that the National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Pune had informed that nine patients had tested negative, while the reports of the other three were expected today. He said that five persons each have been admitted to isolation wards at Kasturba Hospital in Mumbai and Naidu Hospital in Pune, while hospitals in Nagpur and Nanded have a person each under quarantine. He added that among the five people undergoing treatment at civic- run Kasturba Hospital, there is a Zambian national who was admitted on Thursday. Dr Awate said the woman arrived in Mumbai from China on January 25, and admitted to the isolation ward after doctors at a private hospital observed that she had some common symptoms of coronavirus.<br />'' <br />'' As of Thursday, 5,128 passengers were screened at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai since January 18.<br />'' <br />'' The state government has launched toll free number 104 for queries regarding the novel coronavirus. <br />''  <br />