A patient who entered Baylor University Medical Center in Texas might have the Ebola virus after triggering a positive screening.
The patient, who has not been named, was discovered to have Ebola-like symptoms.
The patient then triggered a positive on a verbal screening questionnaire.
Sources told CBS, though, that the verbal positive isn’t unusual and that an actual test needs to happen to confirm the case.
The patient came to the Emergency Room through a private entrance and went straight to isolation, Baylor Health said in a statement.
“A patient presented at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas Thursday evening reporting Ebola symptoms and indicated contact with someone with the disease. The patient was transferred within hours to Texas Health Presbyterian as directed by the Dallas County Health Department,” it said.
“Upon arrival to Baylor University Medical Center, the patient entered the hospital through a private entrance. That entrance was then closed, and the patient was immediately isolated. While again, there is no confirmation this patient is infected with Ebola, we are following all CDC disease-containment guidelines.”
Texas Health Presbyterian later issued a statement.
“Thursday evening, a patient reporting Ebola symptoms was transferred from Baylor University Medical Center to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. The patient was placed in isolation at Texas Health Dallas and evaluated with all appropriate precautions,” it said.
“The patient was determined to be low risk and wanted to leave the hospital. The CDC and Texas Department of State Health Services were advised of this and did not feel it was necessary to have her detained.”
J.D. Miles of CBS explained via Twitter that “screening positive” means having symptoms, and also having traveled to West Africa recently or having contact with someone who did.
“I’m told a number of patients screening positive but testing negative for #Ebola Baylor patient transferred out of caution,” he said.
Baylor is one of three hospitals that set up special Ebola isolation units earlier this month, along with Children’s Medical Center Dallas and Parkland Memorial Hospital.
It’s unclear why the patient was transferred from Baylor to Texas Health, especially considering the latter admittedly botched the care of Thomas Eric Duncan by allowing two nurses to contract Ebola from the Liberian before he died.
Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the location of Baylor University Medical Center. It’s in Dallas.
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