Amber Vinsons Family Says Shes EbolaFree
Amber Vinson, one of two health care workers based out of Dallas who contracted Ebola while caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, is reportedly cleared of the virus. "Officials at Emory University Hospital and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC are no longer able to detect the virus in her body," her family said in a statement released Wednesday. Vinson is reportedly still under treatment in the Serious Communicable Diseases Unit, but has been approved for transfer from the isolation unit. Officials at the CDC and Emory University Hospital have not yet confirmed to TIME that Vinson is cleared of the virus, but in a recent image sent to TIME, Vinson can be seen smiling and looking alert. Vinson's mother Debra Berry said in a statement that she and the family are "ecstatic to receive this latest report on her condition.", "We all know that further treatment will be necessary as Amber continues to regain strength, but these latest developments have truly answered prayers and bring our family one step closer to reuniting with her at home," Berry said. Vinson, along with Nina Pham, was infected with the deadly virus while caring for the first patient to be diagnosed with Ebola on U.S. soil during the current outbreak. According to the Dallas Morning News, about 108 people in Dallas are being monitored by the CDC for signs of Ebola, though some 66 people have already been cleared.