The Ebola virus continues to be an issue in the U.S., as a new patient at New York’s Bellevue Hospital has tested positive. The New York Times reports that Dr. Craig Spencer, who worked with Doctors without Borders in Guinea, is now being treated for the virus.
New Yorkers told not to worry about Ebola
The doctor is the first confirmed case of Ebola in New York. Officials said last night that the public should not worry about the development, as there’s little chance of it spreading. At a press conference, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “Ebola is an extremely hard disease to contract.”
Dr. Spencer was admitted to Bellevue Hospital Center last night with a fever of 103 and gastrointestinal symptoms. He is now in isolation.
He initially isolated himself Wednesday night after symptom developed and then called authorities on Thursday morning to give his symptoms. Paramedics wearing protective gear transported him to Bellevue Hospital with a police escort.
His fiancée, who has not shown any symptoms yet, is being quarantined and watched at Bellevue, which is one of the eight hospitals New York officials designated as being a treatment center for Ebola. The doctor’s Harlem apartment has been cordoned off.
Ebola patient’s activities released
Officials said after leaving his apartment on 147th Street in Harlem on Wednesday, he took the 1 and A trains in Manhattan and then the L train to Williamsburg, Brooklyn. However, they do not believe he was showing symptoms at the time he traveled on those trains. They think it’s very unlikely that anyone on the trains contracted Ebola from him.
He also rode in an Uber car, visited The Gutter bowling alley in Williamsburg, and was at the High Line park and went for a run. The bowling alley closed on Thursday after he was there on Wednesday.
CDC sends Ebola response team
Officials in New York have already spoken with recently appointed Ebola czar Ron Klain, who sent an Ebola response team. They are now determining who Spencer had contact with since he returned from Guinea. The Health Department will identify any individuals who may have been exposed, notify them, and if deemed necessary, quarantine them.
So far approximately 4,800 people have died from the Ebola virus in West Africa. Shares of companies that have been working on cures for the deadly virus have been pushed higher as investors speculate about the chances of a widespread epidemic. Shares of Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NASDAQ:TKMR), considered by many to have the most promising treatment, rose by as much as 6% in premarket trading this morning.
