National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Scanning electron micrograph of Ebola virus budding from the surface of a Vero cell

With 17 days until the last person in direct contact with one of Dallas' three Ebola patients finishes monitoring, here's the latest:

The condition of the patients:
Amber Vinson's mother, Debra Berry, discussed her daughter's condition on Good Morning America early Tuesday. Mom says Vinson remains weak, but is doing OK and focused on getting better. Berry told the morning show that it's been difficult for her and her family to comprehend her daughter's situation.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Nina Pham has been upgraded from fair to good condition by doctors at the National Institutes of Health. Bentley, her dog, gave his first sample to be tested for Ebola this morning. He has shown no symptoms and still appears to be a very good boy.

Update: Bentley feces at lab for Ebola virus test; results take a week. Still looks healthy& playful (@dallaspiosana) pic.twitter.com/SSk0kREWVo

— Jeff Smith (@JeffSmithNBC5) October 21, 2014

Perry announces procedure for potential future Ebola cases:
Governor Rick Perry announced Tuesday that any future Ebola cases will be treated at UTMB Galveston or at Methodist Richardson. Patients in Richardson would see UT Southwestern doctors and have their lab work done at Parkland's lab. WFAA's Janet St. James also reports that Parkland will provide a 50-person unit for quick Ebola response. Perry says the new setups will be ready in the next 24 hours. The new facilities are part of a plan by the newly formed Texas Task Force on Infectious Diseases, led by Dr. Brett Giroir.

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U.S. Army

American troops head to a new front line in Africa.

Here's a roundup of the (mostly good) Ebola news from over the weekend:

The condition of the patients:
Amber Vinson is still being treated at Emory University hospital in Atlanta. She remains in stable condition. Over the weekend, her family issued a statement asking for privacy and disputing claims that she was acting irresponsibly when she flew from Cleveland to Dallas with a low-grade fever:

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Emily Mathis

Despite comments on Monday in support of the hospital, nurses remain silent on what exactly happened when Ebola came to Presbyterian.

On Monday afternoon, dozens of nurses, doctors and other healthcare employees convened at the front entrance of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital to discuss the recent controversy about how the hospital handled the Ebola outbreak. Despite definitive comments in support of the hospital, Presby's nurses remained tight-lipped on what actually happened during Thomas Eric Duncan's care.

See also: Presbyterian's Nurses Are Pushing Back on the CDC and Hospital Over Handling of Ebola

"Today we want our community and our country to know that the nurses at Texas Health Presbyterian are so proud of our hospital and proud of what we do," said Dr. Cole Edmonson, chief nursing officer at the hospital. "There are a lot of questions being asked about what happened. And I can't answer those today. A number of reviews are underway."

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Google Maps

This is not close.

If you want any real Ebola news, check out the Friday afternoon update. If you want to see something we barely believe isn't from The Onion, keep reading.

In a move that makes Highland Park ISD's response to Ebola seem thoughtful and measured, Maine School Administrative District 58 has placed a teacher on paid administrative leave due to parental fears of her being exposed to Ebola. The teacher's crime? Attending a seminar held by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium in Dallas.

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Centers for Disease Control

Transmission electron micrograph of the Ebola virus

Heading into a much needed weekend, here's the latest Ebola news of note:

The condition of the patients.
Nina Pham is now being treated at a National Institutes of Health facility in Maryland. She is listed as being in fair condition. While she was listed in good condition at Presbyterian, doctors at NIH have stressed that her condition has not "deteriorated." Video released of Pham just before her transfer shows her in good spirits. Amber Vinson, the second Presbyterian nurse to contract Ebola, is in stable condition at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

Baylor sends potential Ebola patient to Presbyterian.
Late Thursday, an individual came into the Baylor emergency room through a private entrance reporting Ebola symptoms and contact with someone with Ebola. The hospital has issued a statement on its Facebook page that reads a lot like the statement the city of Frisco issued after Michael Monnig showed up at the Care Now.

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European Commission DG ECHO

Dallas nurses say they wore significantly less protection while caring for Thomas Eric Duncan.

On Tuesday, nurses at Presbyterian Hospital voiced their complaints for the first time -- in so many words. Fearful of ramifications in the workplace, nurses anonymously sent their allegations to National Nurses United, where their comments were read aloud by spokesperson Deborah Burger.

The nurses silently listened in on the press teleconference, their identities unknown. Every nurse on the call had some tie to or close knowledge of Thomas Eric Duncan's care. And what they allege went wrong is a dramatic turn from the significantly rosier picture painted by Texas Health Resources.

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Stephen Young

Late Tuesday afternoon, the Supreme Court cleared the way for reopening 13 abortion-providing health clinics that shuttered following an October 2 ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that allowed Texas to begin enforcing the most draconian portions of House Bill 2, the state's 2013 anti-abortion measure. While being hailed as good news by pro-choice advocacy groups, the court order is likely only a temporary road block for Texas anti-choice supporters.

See also: The 5th Circuit Gave Every Woman in Texas the Middle Finger Thursday Night

The October 2 5th Circuit ruling allowed the state to enforce HB2 as the state appealed a lower court decision overturning the law. The circuit has not heard oral arguments yet in the appeal, but its granting of the stay means it, or at least the three-judge panel that issued the stay, believes that Texas will prevail in its appeal.

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Centers for Disease Control

Transmission electron micrograph of the Ebola virus

Update 12:15 p.m.:Amber Joy Vinson, the second Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital nurse diagnosed with Ebola after helping treat Thomas Eric Duncan, is being moved to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced at a news conference late this morning. The first Presbyterian nurse diagnosed with Ebola, Nina Pham, is not being moved to Emory because her condition is improving, the CDC says.

At the press conference, CDC Director Tom Frieden also said that Vinson should not have been allowed to travel on a public airplane after she became one of the people being monitored after coming into contact with Duncan, the Liberian man who was the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S. From this point forward, healthcare workers and others being monitored will not be allowed to use publicly available transportation.

The 29-year-old Vinson traveled from Cleveland to Dallas on a Frontier Airlines jet October 13. Reports Wednesday morning indicated that Vinson had not shown any symptoms before boarding the plane, but CDC clarified at its press conference that she was running a low-grade fever of 99.5 degrees before getting on board. Pham was confirmed to have Ebola on Sunday.

As for the possible causes of Pham and Vinson's infections, Frieden reports that they treated Duncan while he was suffering from "large amounts of vomit and diarrhea." Duncan died on Oct. 8.

Neither the hospital nor the CDC has discovered the breach that led to the infections, and all other workers in contact with Duncan are being monitored for symptoms. Both Pham and Vinson were isolated within 90 minutes of first showing symptoms, according to the hospital.

"A lot is being said about what may or may not have occurred to cause some of our colleagues to contract this disease, but it's clear that there was an exposure, somewhere, sometime in their treatment of Mr. Duncan," said Dr. Daniel Varga, Presbyterian's chief clinical officer.

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Emily Mathis

With diverted ER traffic, suspended personnel, and a drop in elective procedures, how much is Texas Presbyterian Hospital business suffering?

As Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital becomes the epicenter of the American Ebola scare, Texas Woman's University announced yesterday that all "non-essential personnel" had been suspended until further notice from the East Dallas hospital. The university referred specifically to the 90 TWU students this decision would effect, but the announcement of the closure touches on just one more way hospital business has taken a hit in the last two weeks.

While the hospital declined to comment on what exactly the removal of these workers entails, the move can be likened to the emergency preparedness plans which remove non-essential personnel from the hospital in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. Not only does the move indicate the hospital's level of concern for further spread within the hospital, the potential for spread is now considered an emergency.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Tom Frieden

The news Sunday was disturbing. A Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital nurse -- confirmed Monday to be 26-year-old Nina Pham -- had contracted Ebola. Pham was not one 10 people being monitored for close contact with Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, nor was she one of the 38 people who, in the Centers for Disease Control's estimation, might have had unprotected contact with Duncan after he became symptomatic. Pham was simply one of the health professionals who treated and cared for Duncan on his second visit to Presbyterian, during which appropriate precautions were supposed to have been taken.

Monday morning, as he's done almost every day since Duncan's diagnosis was confirmed on September 30, CDC Director Tom Frieden held a news conference. Initially, Frieden's press conferences inspired confidence. He calmly repeated to everyone how difficult the transmission of Ebola was and complimented Texas Health Director David Lakey and Presbyterian on how they were dealing with the situation.

See also: CDC Boss Frieden, "That Is Not in the Cards"

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