While Craig Spencer, the New York doctor who contracted Ebola while in Guinea, continues to show improvement, over 350 others are now being monitored in the city.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the number of people being monitored for the disease has soared to 357. But health officials claimed that nobody from these people have showed any symptoms.
Citing a statement released by the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, it said that many of these people came from the Ebola-stricken West African countries and arrived in the city within the last 21 days.
NBC 4 New York said that the number of people being monitored in the city was earlier placed at 117 before it surged to over 350.
The monitoring, it added, was just part of the checking out on "an abundance of caution."
Also being monitored are the staff treating Spencer, other workers who made the blood tests, and even those who transported him.
As for Craig Spencer, Time said that the doctor continues to show improvements and that he is now even playing banjo.
Chriselle Gardner, the mother of Spencer's fiancée, Morgan Dixon, was quoted in the report saying that Spencer is an "avid little banjo player." She also said that the doctor who has underwent quarantine since October 23 will soon be released as "he's kicking Ebola's butt -- literally." There is still no definite date for Spencer's release but a city health spokesman earlier revealed that his condition has been upgraded to "stable" from "serious."
Meanwhile, NBC said that another person who made contact with Spencer will also now be monitored. The person reportedly has not shown any Ebola symptoms so s/he does not pose any threat but s/he will be assessed twice a day. The individual's movement will also not be restricted.
Spencer's fiancee, Morgan Dixon, has already been released from the hospital after not showing any signs of the disease but she is still being quarantined at home.
To date, Spencer is still taking plasma and antiviral therapies such as those used to treat patients in Nebraska, NBC said.
Earlier, New Jersey and New York City have imposed a mandatory quarantine for people arriving from West African countries.
According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ebola death toll has now climbed to 4,818. As of November 2, the number of recorded cases has totaled to 13,042. Majority of the deaths and cases were in West African countries Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.
Liberia has the most number of deaths and cases at 2,413 and 6,525, respectively. Out of the 4,759 cases recorded in Sierra Leone, 1,070 have already died. Meanwhile, 1,041 have already died out of the 1,731 total cases recorded in Guinea. One death was recorded in Mali while Senegal and Spain have one case each. Eight people have died from the disease in Nigeria while one died in the US.
Early symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, unexplained bleeding or bruising, and muscle pain.
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