In brief: Ebola free, doctor leaves hospital
NEW YORK – Hugging the health workers who cared for him, a doctor who recovered from Ebola said Tuesday he was a living example of effective treatment and urged support for those combating the virus’ outbreak in West Africa.
“Today, I am healthy,” a smiling Dr. Craig Spencer said as he was released after nearly three weeks in Bellevue Hospital, where he had been the last Ebola patient under treatment nationwide.
“Please join me in turning our attention back to West Africa,” where the virus has killed thousands of people this year, he added after thanking Bellevue staffers who treated him and getting a hug from the mayor.
Spencer was diagnosed Oct. 23, days after returning from treating Ebola patients in Guinea with Doctors Without Borders. His was the first Ebola case in the nation’s largest city, spurring an effort to contain anxieties along with the virus.
Nurses strike over care standards
SAN FRANCISCO – As many as 18,000 nurses went on strike Tuesday and picketed in front of Kaiser Permanente facilities in Northern California to express their concerns about patient-care standards and Ebola.
The nurses are in the midst of contract negotiations. The two-day strike was expected to affect at least 21 Kaiser hospitals and 35 clinics and last until 7 a.m. Thursday.
Union officials said nurses are striking over claims there has been an erosion of patient-care standards in Kaiser facilities for months and that the company has failed to adopt optimal safeguards for Ebola.
Students home after detention in Russia
SAN FRANCISCO – Four students are enjoying smiles and hugs from family and friends in the U.S. after being briefly detained in Russia during a student leadership conference.
The group arrived at San Francisco International Airport on Tuesday afternoon after an all-day journey across the globe.
The four had been detained in St. Petersburg since Thursday after Russian immigration authorities accused them of possessing the wrong kind of visas. They were traveling on tourist visas to attend a two-week leadership conference but were told they needed business visas.
The students, ranging in age from 18 to 27, were allowed to leave Russia after a hearing Monday in which they agreed to pay a fine of about $100 each.