Preliminary Test Results Show Patient At Yale-New Haven Hospital Does Not Have Ebola

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A source in the Connecticut state government tells CBS 2 the preliminary test results for a Yale-New Haven Hospital patient with Ebola-like symptoms have come back negative.

The patient was placed in isolation in stable condition, hospital officials said Thursday after being admitted late Wednesday night for evaluation.

"Due to an overabundance of caution, before we fully rule it out, we will wait for the CDC official confirmation of the test result," Chief Medical Officer Dr. Thomas Balcezak said in a statement.

Dr. Balcezak said the patient will remain in isolation and will continue to be monitored to ensure safety.

EXTRAS: Fact Sheet On Ebola Screenings | More From The CDC | Ebola Q & A With Dr. Jonathan LaPook 

The patient, a Yale researcher, had recently returned from Liberia, one of three West African countries hit hardest by the disease. The patient had traveled to the country to study the virus and returned to Connecticut last week.

Hospital officials said the patient had been self-monitoring for Ebola symptoms when a fever developed and contacted their doctor. After seeing the patient, the doctor then notified the hospital, officials said.

"The patient was evaluated in the emergency department, patient was stable and in good condition at the time," said Dr. Balcezak. "Then we were able to move the patient to our inpatient service where they were placed in a high-level precaution area."

Although results on samples sent for testing were expected in the next 24 hours, officials stressed it is unlikely the patient will test positive for the disease.

"While we recognize that this is just a suspected case, we don't believe that, in really thinking it through, it will actually turn out to be an Ebola case," said New Haven Mayor Toni Harp.

"This is a suspected case and we have an abundance of caution here that we are testing that patient and we should know that within the next 24 hours," Balcezak said

Whatever the results, the hospital said it is well-equipped and prepared to handle the care of the patient.

"We are following all the practices and policies as if this were an actual case," Balcezak said.

"We've been planning for this for several weeks if not several months and we had already identified where we would put this patient in isolation and precautions following the CDC guidance and actually going above and beyond that," said Dr. Louise Dembry, an expert in infectious disease and hospital epidemiology infection control.

Gov. Dannel Malloy is ordering all hospitals in the state to test their preparedness to handle potential Ebola cases within the next week.

Malloy also announced on Thursday that he has established a command team to act as a central authority to deal with any Ebola cases in the state. The team is led by Public Health Commissioner Dr. Jewell Mullen and includes officials from state agencies for public safety, education, prison and environmental protection.

Earlier this month, Malloy said hospitals in Connecticut were ready to treat Ebola.

He said the state Department of Public Health has requested hospitals to complete detailed checklists that, for example, asks them to ensure they can detect patients with the disease and protect health care workers so they can safely treat a patient.

"Our state health department has been working and communicating with federal and state partners to ensure those strong measures and practices are in place here in Connecticut," Malloy said.

But Rep. Prasad Srinivasan, a ranking member of the Connecticut Public Health Committee, said major hospitals in the state need to be designated for the training of medical personnel.

"We do not have protocols for protection for these people who are exposing themselves, their health, putting their health at risk for caring for these patients," he told WCBS 880's Fran Schneidau.

Srinivasan said every hospital in the state simply can't provide the intense medical training required to protect health workers from the virus.

Meanwhile, the federal government is ramping up its response to the Ebola crisis after a second Dallas nurse, who cared for an Ebola patient who traveled to the U.S. from Liberia, became ill and it was disclosed that she had been cleared to fly a day before her diagnosis.

Ebola patients are not considered contagious until they have symptoms, which include fever, muscle pain, vomiting and bleeding.

Symptoms can appear as long as 21 days after exposure to the virus and only spreads by close contact with an infected person's bodily fluids.

Check Out These Other Stories From CBSNewYork.com:

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

In:
• Liberia