We report a case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in a Japanese patient with a false-negative result in the reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 detection in the pharyngeal swab. The patient had acquired the infection from a Chinese traveler returning from Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. If a patient is clinically or epidemiologically suspected with COVID-19, appropriate infection and prevention control measures such as standard, contact, and droplet precaution are necessary until the patient is proven to have a true-negative result.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; false-negative of pharyngeal swab.