A team clear the contents of the apartment of an Ebola infected health worker in Dallas. (Reuters)
Governor Andrew Cuomo said authorities were erring on the side on caution in their preparations, and that the public's "anxiety is higher than the probability" of an Ebola outbreak in New York.
Even so, the governor said during a news conference, he would not be surprised if a case cropped up in New York, given the high number of people who visit or travel through the state.
All hospitals in New York are being trained to recognize potential Ebola cases in their emergency rooms and to respond appropriately, said Howard Zucker, New York state's acting health commissioner, at the same news conference.
On Oct. 21, the state Department of Health will hold an Ebola education session for healthcare workers, including hands-on demonstrations on wearing and removing protective equipment, at New York City's Javits Center.
In addition to the unannounced drills at hospitals, New York will expand the tests to college campuses, subways and mass transit areas.
The eight hospitals that will handle all patients diagnosed with Ebola in New York are setting up isolation units, according to a press release. The state may designate additional hospitals later.
The current list is:
- Mt. Sinai in Manhattan
- New York Presbyterian in Manhattan
- Bellevue in Manhattan
- Montefiore in the Bronx
- North Shore/LIJ Health System in Nassau County
- Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse
- University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester
- Stony Brook University Hospital on Long Island
Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian national who was the first patient diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, died on Oct. 8 in Dallas. Two nurses who cared for him at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital have since been diagnosed with the disease.
The Dallas hospital has come under fire for failing to diagnose Duncan promptly and failing to protect the nurses.
© Thomson Reuters 2014
