Amber Vinson, the second Dallas nurse to have been infected by the Ebola virus, is finally released from the hospital.
Speaking in a press conference shortly after her release, 29-year-old Vinson thanked God, the staff of the Emory University Hospital where she received her treatment, and the two Ebola survivors, Nancy Writebol and Kent Brantly who donated their plasma, which may already contain some antibodies that can fight off the infection.
Brantly and Writebol were two health workers who became the first Americans reported to have been infected by the deadly Ebola and sent to the United States for treatment. Since then, they have been donating their plasma to other diagnosed U.S. citizens, including Nina Pham, the first Dallas nurse diagnosed with Ebola and has since been released. She received her plasma from Brantly.
Writebol, meanwhile, is believed to have donated her plasma to Craig Spencer, the NY doctor recently diagnosed with Ebola and being isolated and receiving treatment in Bellevue Hospital.
Although Vinson is thankful for being able to pull through and fight the disease, she also reminds everyone that Ebola is not yet over, and thousands are still dying especially in West Africa, where the outbreak originated. Based on the worst-case forecast model of World Health Organization, the outbreak may lead to 10,000 new cases every week by December.
Early this week, the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control released revised guidelines on how to deal with travelers from West Africa, following a complaint from a nurse who underwent a "frightening" quarantine procedure after arriving in Newark airport, a story she narrated in an essay in Dallas Morning News. She has already been released by the New Jersey hospital.
Under the new guidelines, passengers will be categorized according to their risk level. It involves self-quarantine for 21 days, which is the length of time before the virus creates symptoms such as low-grade fever and gastrointestinal problems.