I'll be posting a lot more in the next few minutes, but, for the moment, a physician working with Doctors Without Borders has had preliminary tests come back positive for Ebola. You can see The New York Times' coverage here.
The Rachel Maddow Show will be carrying the press conference from Bellevue Hospital live.
The physician, Craig Spencer, was working in Guinea, where he was treating Ebola patients. He returned a few days ago to the U.S., and, according to MSNBC reports, began feeling "unwell" about two days ago. Earlier today, he started to feel nauseous with a 103°F (39°C) fever. [Rachel Maddow notes that this is concerning, since it raises the possibility that he was potentially contagious for longer than just an hour or two.]
Thankfully, here is where things turned out vastly different than they did in Dallas. Spencer, unlike Eric Duncan, did not go directly to the emergency room; he called 911, and reported that he had symptoms consistent with Ebola.
Similarly, New York City treated it very differently than Dallas did: the city developed protocols for handling Ebola patients. So, in this case, the EMT team that arrived to bring Spencer to the hospital was already wearing full-body protective gear that left no skin exposed. He was in isolation within two hours of his original call to 911, and taken to an isolation ward at Bellevue Hospital, which is the designated hospital for suspected Ebola cases (h/t PsychoSavannah). His girlfriend is currently asymptomatic, but in quarantine.
It is to New York City's credit that, over the last few months, they have developed protocols for handling suspected Ebola cases in all of its hospitals; they have gone so far as to send "undercover patients" to the various hospitals, pretending to have symptoms similar to those of Ebola, to monitor the hospitals' ability to follow protocols.
The only disturbing part here is that Spencer has used public transportation over the last few days, so there is the possibility that other people may—key word here may—have been exposed to the virus. However, as Chris Hayes so eloquently noted on All In, none of Duncan's family members, who were quarantined in Duncan's apartment, with contaminated materials for several days, developed the disease. Casual contact (e.g., just being on the same train) is unlikely to lead to exposure. Nevertheless, in an abundance of caution, the NYC health department is sending epidemiologists to do contact tracing, to find anyone who might have been in contact with Spencer since he returned to the United States.
Liveblog beneath the fleur-de-Kos.
6:50 PM PT: NYC mayor Bill De Blasio talking now. Emphasizing that Ebola is not spread by casual contact, but requires transmission by bodily fluids. "Being on the same subway car . . . does not in and of itself put someone at risk."
Says every hospital in NYC is ready to recognize potential Ebola cases, and send them to Bellevue (Maddow noted they can handle four cases at a time). Health department tracing contacts, ready to issue quarantine if necessary.
6:52 PM PT: De Blasio, before turning things over to Cuomo, is broadcasting the key information in Spanish (himself, BTW).
6:55 PM PT: Governor Cuomo talking. Notes they had hoped to remain Ebola-free, but not surprised that they have a case.
Again, like De Blasio, taking time to reassure the public that it is difficult to transmit. Notes CDC teams now en route to NYC to assist. City is doing "everything that needs to be done."
6:57 PM PT: Cuomo notes the system the city put in place to deal with Ebola has worked well.
7:01 PM PT: Dr. Mary Bassett, NYC Health Dept. Commissioner updates information; Ebola diagnosis still preliminary, but confirmation expected in 24 hours.
Patient completed work in Guinea, departed on 10/14, via Europe, arrived at JFK on 10/17. Throughout the trip, he was asymptomatic. Checked temperatures twice a day since his departure from Guinea.
Began feeling "tired" on 10/21, but did not begin experiencing real symptoms until about 10 AM today. Contrary to my previous statements, he apparently contacted Doctors Without Borders, who contacted the health department.
Felt well enough yesterday to go on a 3-mile job; traveled on the A, 1, and L lines yesterday, went to bowling alley in Williamsburg—feeling well except for fatigue.
Has been in close contact with two friends and his fiancée; all three are now in quarantine. Driver who transported Spencer not believed to be at any significant risk.
7:04 PM PT: Dr. Zucker: Patient transported safely to Bellevue by specially-trained, specially-equipped EMT team.
Ebola patients face many potential problems, and he is being closely monitored.
Hope that patient will recover quickly.
7:07 PM PT: CDC chief Tom Frieden: CDC had just reviewed Bellevue's policies for treating Ebola.
Reminding public that Eric Duncan's family, despite spending significant time in the apartment, did not come down with the disease.
CDC will work closely with NYC to ensure "seamless" coordination of patient care and public health tasks.
7:14 PM PT: Dr. Basset: one of the three contacts is currently under quarantine in a hospital (not clear if Bellevue), while the other two are in quarantine, but not in the hospital.
Using isolation ward built in 1990s, originally to treat multi-drug resistant TB and AIDS.
Gov. Cuomo: Health care workers feel prepared and equipped for this moment. [Earlier, they mentioned that there was a training session for ~5,000 health care workers at the Javitz Center.]
7:15 PM PT: Dr. Basset: Patient had fatigue (which can be a symptom of many conditions), but first began having fever and GI symptoms today.
7:18 PM PT: Dr. Basset; Systems and contracts in place to deal with waste.
Apartment is locked and secured; patient left key in the apartment and locked the door on his way out.
A grand total of eight hospitals in NY state have been designated as potential Ebola treatment sites. [Though not with high-tech containment units as, say, the CDC, or the hospital in Nebraska.]