LOS ANGELES, California — On the same day the first Ebola patient diagnosed with the virus in the United States, Thomas Eric Duncan, was pronounced dead in Texas, news broke that an unidentified patient had been admitted to and placed under isolation in a Los Angeles hospital directly after landing at LAX from the West African nation of Liberia. Liberia is also Duncan’s country of origin.
The “possible Ebola patient,” as the individual was identified in a written statement issued from Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, was reportedly admitted to an emergency room in the hospital on Tuesday night, according to local news station KTLA.
The Los Angeles Times had initially reported that eight patients, thus far, had tested negative for Ebola, including the individual that was admitted to the hospital last night. However, a statement from Steve Brand, who is a spokesman for the hospital, revealed that said patient had not yet tested negative for the deadly hemorrhagic disease.
Centinela Hospital is reportedly conducting appropriate tests on the isolated patient and the staff had received the individual in accordance with Centers for Disease Control protocols, the hospital statement said, notes KTLA.
The incubation period for the Ebola virus is anywhere between two and 21 days, which is generally when symptoms for the disease begin to show. The isolated Los Angeles patient was reportedly not showing symptoms of the virus at the time of his or her arrival; however, it is believed the patient was isolated for safety reasons.
A 3:30 pm conference call with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is expected to shed more light on the developing incident.
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