Ebola Developments

Veteran White House official Ron Klain has been appointed by President Barack Obama as the so-called “Ebola czar” who will oversee the government’s response to the deadly virus. Klain hasn’t even started his new job yet, but he’s already under fire from political opponents, who say he’s a political operative, not a doctor or public health expert. Klain was chief of staff for Vice President Joe Biden and former Vice President Al Gore. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest dismissed the criticism, saying, “What we’re looking for here is an implementation expert.”

Also on the Ebola story:

The head of a Texas hospital chain has apologized in a full-page newspaper advertisement for mistakes made by staff at the Dallas hospital where a patient died of Ebola. Thomas Eric Duncan was sent home after his first visit to the emergency ward of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. He was later admitted to the hospital, and died there after two weeks of treatment. In his apology, Barclay E. Berdan admitted that Duncan was initially misdiagnosed, despite having told hospital staff that he had been in Liberia, where Ebola is epidemic.

Forty-eight people who had some contact with Duncan when he might have been contagious should be in the clear today (Monday), after showing no signs of developing Ebola during three weeks of quarantine. They include his fiancée. Funeral services for Duncan were held Saturday in North Carolina.

The passengers of a Carnival cruise ship have finally been allowed on shore, after fears of Ebola kept them afloat for a week. Among the passengers was a lab supervisor who had handled a specimen taken from Duncan. She has shown no symptoms of the virus, so the ship was finally allowed to dock in Galveston, Texas.

Two nurses who were on the staff of people who treated Duncan are being treated for Ebola. To date, they, and Duncan, are the only people in the United States to develop Ebola.