Fort Worth family isolated for 21 days
A Fort Worth family is reported to be in quarantine for 21 days after a family member may have had contact with Vinson. A letter sent to parents in the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District (full text here) says a family member of a Lake Pointe Elementary School student was on the flight from Cleveland. The district says the family member is in the military and is stationed at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth.
Upon advisement from the military and as a precautionary measure, the family will be isolated for 21 days. This family has one child who attends Lake Pointe Elementary.
NY Giants primed on Ebola
0 CommentsThe Giants receive a primer on the virus before traveling to Dallas to take on the Cowboys. Eli Manning:
With what we’re doing and where we’re staying, I think we’ll be OK.
UN warns of global famine
0 CommentsThe UN’s global famine warning system is indicating that Ebola may cause a food crisis. The World Food Program says it needs to reach 1.3 million people in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, but has only provided food to 534,000 people, and may reach 600,000 to 700,000 this month, WFP official in North America:
And we are working hard to reach and scale up to 1.3 million eventually.
May have been symptomatic on flight
A letter from Frontier Airlines CEO David Siegel to employees states that Frontier was notified by the CDC that Vinson may have been symptomatic earlier than initially suspected, including the possibility of possessing symptoms while onboard the flight.
Since we were notified by the CDC, we’ve proactively placed six crew members (two pilots; four flight attendants) on paid leave for 21 days out of an abundance of caution as the safety and security of our employees is our number one priority. This was over and above CDC guidance that stated that our flight crews were safe to fly. We have also been working in close cooperation with our unions and appreciate their support on this issue.
Experts warn against panic
0 CommentsExperts warn that panic over Ebola can be more harmful than the virus itself. They say that public concerns over previous health scares have have led to heightened anxiety, avoidance of public places, to hysteria. They cite the fact that the flu virus has at times killed 30,000 people in a single year in the U.S., and say that statistics make the risk of Ebola very small. To address this, health officials need to show competence and fairness: communicating risks clearly, reporting all cases as quickly as possible, and treating each infection with the maximum level of care.Carnegie Mellon University professor of economics and psychology George Loewenstein:
The system often flips from one extreme to another, from ignoring risks altogether and then overreacting
Poll shows Americans worried about virus
0 CommentsA Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that two thirds of Americans are worried about an Ebola epidemic in the United States, and more than 4 in 10 are very or somewhat worried that they or a close family member might catch the virus. Michael Luke-Anthony, who cleans the cabins of airplanes at John F. Kennedy International Airport:
My fear is, the whole Ebola situation, it can get anywhere. It got from Liberia to Texas. It’s traveling quick. It could be in one of those planes.
DFW worker forced to remove safety gear
0 CommentsDallas Fort Worth airport contractor Pablo Medina says he was threatened with being fired for being out of uniform and made to remove a mask and latex gloves. He was directing passengers at the airport exit that Vinson passed through following her flight before her diagnosis.
One of the supervisors told me I wasn’t allowed to wear that because it’ll cause a panic for people and they’ll start tripping out and stuff. It makes me mad, it makes me terrified that they’re denying me to wear safety precautions. And they told me that if go out, they’ll let me go – and that just makes me more mad
Moved to Atlanta
Vinson is taken to Emory University, which has successfully treated two other patients. Footage shows a police motorcade escorting her from the charter flight to the hospital. Statement:
As a result of the virus, my condition worsened and I became critically ill soon after I arrived at Emory. Through rigorous medical treatment, skillful nursing, and the full support of a healthcare team, I am well on the way to a full recovery.
Emory:
[The Ebola unit is] physically separate from other patient areas and has unique equipment and infrastructure that provides a high level of clinical isolation.
Called CDC before flying
Vinson called the CDC after registering a temperature of 99.5, but was allowed to fly as the reading was below the high-risk threshold of 100.4. Unnamed health official:
Somebody dropped the ball
Confident serious outbreak can be prevented
A White House pool report says Obama stated that the administration is confident of preventing a serious outbreak. He added that he has met, hugged, and even kissed healthcare workers at Emory who have treated Ebola patients. Obama:
We are going to have to make sure that we do not lose sight of the importance of the international response to what is taking place. I’m confident that we can prevent a serious outbreak of the disease here in the U.S.
Traveled with high temperature
The CDC says that Vinson recorded a temperature of 99.5 before traveling, below the fever threshold of 100.4 but an elevated level. Frieden:
I don’t think that changes the level of risk of people around her. She did not vomit, she was not bleeding, so the level of risk of people around her would be extremely low.
Cancels fundraising trip
Obama cancels a trip to raise funds for Democrats before the November elections. White House:
The President’s travel today to New Jersey and Connecticut has been postponed. Later this afternoon, the President will convene a meeting with cabinet agencies coordinating the government’s Ebola response.
Airline stocks fall
0 CommentsShares of the major U.S. airlines were down between 4% and 6% midday after the news broke that Vinson boarded a flight the day before her diagnosis.
Nurse identified as Amber Vinson
0 CommentsThe second nurse to contract the virus while treating Duncan is identified by her family as Amber Vinson. She is reported to live alone with no pets, and was placed in isolation within 90 minutes of her temperature spiking. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins:
We are preparing contingencies for more. That is a very real possibility
Second Texas healthcare worker infected
The Texas Department of State Health Services says a second worker at Texas Health Presbyterian who treated Duncan has contracted the virus. Tests to confirm the result of the local test are being conducted at the CDC in Atlanta. The person isn’t identified but authorities say interviews have been done to allow contact tracing. CDC statement:
An additional health care worker testing positive for Ebola is a serious concern, and the CDC has already taken active steps to minimize the risk to health care workers and the patient
Plane may have stayed in service
The Frontier Airlines plane that Vinson traveled on may have stayed in service after the flight. Flighttracker shows that it was used for five further flights the same day, but the airline denies this. Frontier Air statement:
The flight landed in Dallas/Fort Worth at 8:16 p.m. local and remained overnight at the airport having completed its flying for the day at which point the aircraft received a thorough cleaning per our normal procedures which is consistent with CDC guidelines prior to returning to service the next day. It was also cleaned again in Cleveland last night.
CDC asks for passenger contact
The CDC asks all 132 passengers on the flight to call 1 800-CDC INFO (1 800 232-4636). Public health professionals will begin interviewing passengers about the flight after 1 p.m. ET.
Death toll rises to 4,447
The global body says deaths have risen to 4,447, and there have been 8,914 cases overall. It says total cases are expected to rise above 9,000 by the end of the week. The WHO estimates figures by taking the numbers of confirmed cases and multiplying them to account for under-reporting. It multiplies figures from Guinea by 1.5, from Sierra Leone by 2 and from Liberia by 2.5.
Dallas mayor: Situation may get worse
0 CommentsRawlings says the outbreak may get worse before it gets better, but says the state has the capability to combat it.
There are two things that I harken back to this. The only way that we are going to beat this is person by person, moment by moment, detail by detail. We have those protocols in place, the city and county, working closely with the CDC and the hospital. The second is we want to minimize rumors and maximize facts. We want to deal with facts, not fear.