Uncle of Texas Nurse Speaks Out
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: We have got a lot to talk about, our breaking news tonight, Nina Pham being rushed to National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. She spoke earlier today in her Dallas hospital room and asked for the individually to be shared.</s>NINA PHAM, EBOLA VICTIM: Come to Maryland, everybody.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Party, party in Maryland? OK. Do you need anything?</s>PHAM: I don't think so.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. There's no crying. Well, happy tears are OK.</s>LEMON: Meanwhile, the other nurse with Ebola, Amber Vinson, is being treated at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. I will talk exclusively to her uncle, who spoke with her today. We will get the very latest from him. Also, for the third day in a row, President Barack Obama speaking on Ebola and opening the door to the idea of pointing an Ebola czar.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It may be appropriate for me to appoint an additional person, not because the three of these folks have not been doing an outstanding job, I should mention them, and Susan Rice, my national security adviser. It's not that they haven't been doing an outstanding job, really working hard on this issue. But they also are responsible for a whole bunch of other stuff.</s>LEMON: Is your hospital ready to handle Ebola? We will get into all of that tonight. But we have got a lot of breaking news to got to. I want to go straight to Anderson Cooper at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, our Dr. Sanjay Gupta at Emory University and Hospital, a hospital in Atlanta. He will join us in just a little bit. Anderson, let's talk about this video that was just released. And we hear directly from Nina Pham and the conversation she had with her doctor before she took off to the NIH in Maryland. Let's watch it.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks for being part of the volunteer team to take care of our first patient. It means a lot. This has been a huge effort by all of you guys. OK.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't cry. Don't cry.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we're really proud of you. All right.</s>PHAM: Come to Maryland, everybody.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Party, party in Maryland? OK. Do you need anything?</s>PHAM: I don't think so.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. There's no crying. Well, happy tears are OK. Otherwise, no tears. No crying. It's not allowed.</s>PHAM: I love you guys.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love you, Nina.</s>LEMON: And, Anderson, Nina Pham asked the hospital to release this video. It's first time we have seen her. We have seen pictures of her. But this was very emotional.</s>ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: It is, certainly, and obviously your heart goes out to her. Surrounded by people in space suits. The sense of loneliness and isolation has just has got to be extraordinary. We should point out this is put out by the public relations department at the hospital. They took the time to subtitle and everything. This is a hospital which has been not transparent at all, which has been not been making any public statements, which has not informed other hospitals about what has gone wrong inside the hospital to help out those other hospitals, not informed the general public either about what went wrong. So, it, you know, you got to take it for what it is worth. This is clearly an effort by the hospital to change the conversation, to seem as if they are being transparent. But it's certainly interesting to see Nina Pham and also interesting to see the suits that her caregivers are now wearing, a far cry from what nurses told us they were wearing and asked to wear early on in the treatment of the Ebola patient.</s>LEMON: I want to speak to Sanjay about that. Sanjay, as we look at the video, this appears to be different gear, protective gear than the hospital workers had been wearing before. This appears to completely protect them at least from looking at the video.</s>DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, no question. We do have a couple of different things to really point out. First of all, the hood comes all the way over the head. You have that sort of shield you can in the video there. I think we were seeing that just a little bit ago, but also something that Anderson had this conversation with a nurse working in the hospital before, that even with Tyvek suit, it only had come up to sort of the base of her neck. There was that exposed skin on her neck. Obviously, with what you are seeing there with these nurses, it covers that part as well. Again, Don, it's just sort of basic stuff. If we have learned anything about Ebola, we have learned that it can transmit through the skin from infected bodily fluids, but you really want to protect all parts of your skin. Even a small amount of bodily fluid can cause that infection. That's adequate protection, Don.</s>LEMON: Yes. Sanjay and Anderson, for the second day, the president canceled his travel plans to focus on Ebola. I want you to listen to what he said this evening about a travel ban from West Africa and then we will talk about it.</s>OBAMA: I don't have a philosophical objection necessarily to a travel ban, if that is the thing that is going to keep the American people safe. The problem is, is that in all of the discussions I have had thus far with experts in the field, experts in infectious disease, is that a travel ban is less effective than the measures that we are currently instituting.</s>LEMON: Sanjay, the president doesn't believe a travel ban will work. Do most experts agree with that?</s>GUPTA: Yes, well, Sorry, Don. Didn't hear the top of that. But, yes, that was one of the big topics of conversation at the hearings. I think Dr. Frieden took probably more questions about that than anything else. And let me tell you something. He is absolutely against it. And basically his core point is that if you institute a travel ban, there is still going to be people who are going to arrive in the United States who are going to have Ebola, will be either carrying the virus in their body and not sick yet or ray becoming sick. The problem is you can't track them then. You can't trace them. And that is the really important fundamental point to preventing outbreaks. If you -- if you don't have a travel ban, you can at least follow people as they come to the United States and keep an eye on them. Dr. Frieden feels very strongly about that. The president sounds like leaving the options a little bit more open than Dr. Frieden did.</s>LEMON: OK. Anderson, the president also spoke about the problems seen in Dallas. But he also said his team was doing an outstanding job. Some are comparing that to Katrina and saying this is his heck of a job, Brownie, moment. Is that fair?</s>COOPER: Look, it is a certainly a different situation. Obviously, it's a statement which echoes that famous statement made by then- President Bush. I think what I have been focusing a lot on are really the actions by the hospital themselves here. The CDC is actually pretty limited in terms of -- and Sanjay knows this better than anyone -- actually pretty limited in terms of what they can actually do. In movies, we imagine the CDC coming in and taking over a hospital. That's not the way it really actually works. It is really up to each hospital and state health officials. And I think there are a lot of questions this hospital needs to answer. And as I said, they just have not been very transparent. On the travel flight, I talked to the -- the travel ban -- I have talked to probably about half-a-don't relief workers working right now in Liberia and elsewhere. All of them say beyond the understandable fear of -- which is motivating the idea of a travel ban, the logistics of actually getting people to and from the disaster zones in order to actually treat people and to get supplies in, they're moving hundreds of people throughout each weeks, each organization. They say just charter flights alone, that is going to be much more difficult. The key to all of this, Don, is not so much what is happening in the United States. That's obviously important, is getting -- tackling Ebola and defeating it in West Africa right now.</s>LEMON: Anderson, thank you very much. Sanjay, thank you. Both of you, stick around. We will get to much, much more on that with the president's comments a little bit later on, on this broadcast. Amber Vinson's trip was supposed to be full of the excitement and planning her wedding, but it turned into a nightmare for the Ebola- stricken nurse and her worried family really. Joining me now exclusively is Amber's uncle, Lawrence Vinson. Good evening, sir. We appreciate you joining us here on CNN. How is Amber?</s>LAWRENCE VINSON, UNCLE OF AMBER VINSON: Good evening. Thank you. Amber is doing well under the circumstances. I spoke to her today.</s>LEMON: Interesting. And what did she say?</s>VINSON: She said that she is feeling OK. We are really -- yes, we're thank impressed with the team caring for her. They have been very communicative with the family.</s>LEMON: OK. I have to ask you this, which is information that we got earlier regarding her. It says that the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital nurse Amber Vinson skid she felt fatigue, muscle ache and malaise while she was in Cleveland and on a flight home, a federal official with direct knowledge of the case tells CNN. Did she exhibit any symptoms? Did she feel fatigued when she was on her way home?</s>VINSON: She never conveyed that to me. What Amber has directly told me is that felt fine, that she felt well until Tuesday morning. Tuesday morning, she woke up, felt that she should take herself in. She checked her temperature. It was actually below the threshold. She was 100.3. But she decided that she should go in.</s>LEMON: And this was when she was back in Dallas?</s>VINSON: That's correct.</s>LEMON: OK.</s>VINSON: She returned Monday evening.</s>LEMON: OK. So it has been said that she contacted the CDC and asked about whether she should get on a plane because she had a temperature of 99.5. Is that correct?</s>VINSON: So, no, no, that's not accurate at all.</s>LEMON: What happened?</s>VINSON: Amber -- when the first nurse became symptomatic, Amber was already in Ohio. And I guess health officials in Texas started to reach out to other nurses that were a part of that care team. And so the actual situation was that the nurses -- that that team had been told to monitor their own temperature. There wasn't a reporting requirement.</s>LEMON: So, they got in touch with Amber, right, while she was in Ohio?</s>VINSON: That's correct, and asked had she been monitoring her temperature and how did she feel? And she told them that she had and that she was feeling fine. So, when someone followed up with her Monday, just when she was getting ready to fly, she reported what her temperature was, and that she was on a return flight that afternoon. And so someone in Texas said, wait, let me check, and made several calls to the CDC to find out...</s>LEMON: So, Mr. Vinson, at no point to your knowledge did she ever contact the CDC? Someone, a health worker in Dallas contacted the CDC for...</s>VINSON: Absolutely. And to my knowledge, there is -- yes, at no point did she directly contact the</s>CDC. LEMON: And so that person from Texas got back to her and said what to her?</s>VINSON: That, after multiple calls, the CDC said that it was OK for her to fly.</s>LEMON: And so she flew and came home and not until Tuesday did she start to feel -- exhibit any symptoms.</s>VINSON: That's correct. That's correct.</s>LEMON: OK.</s>VINSON: So, yes, if in hindsight someone decides that there should have been flight restrictions, that's fine. But to misrepresent and to say restrictions were in place, when they actually weren't, is inappropriate.</s>LEMON: Some of the nurses have shared and said they never felt as if they were in any imminent danger, because the hospital conveyed to them because of the precautions, the protocol, the suits and what have you, the gloves, everything they had in place, that they were fine. They weren't under a quarantine. They were just asked to monitor their temperature twice a day.</s>VINSON: Absolutely.</s>LEMON: Are you saying Amber didn't feel that she was putting anyone in danger; is that correct?</s>VINSON: That's correct. They were given gear that was supposed to provide isolation. And they were given protocols to follow that were led -- that they believed would protect them. And I believe that that was the feeling and the intent.</s>LEMON: Where are her parents now? Where is her mother? Where is your sister?</s>VINSON: My sister went to Dallas to be with Amber. When the decision was made to move Amber to Emory, we were under the -- we were directly told -- not under the impression -- we were directly told that they would work transportation arrangements both for my sister and Amber's mom and her fiance. Later, they want to the hospital and were told, oh, Amber has already departed. And for...</s>LEMON: They put her on the plane to Atlanta without informing your mother -- her mother?</s>VINSON: Right, without informing her mother or her fiance. And what we have been told for the last 24 hours is that they need to figure something out.</s>LEMON: How is her mother?</s>VINSON: She's as well as can be expected under the circumstances. She is obviously very worried, as we are all are.</s>LEMON: And her fiance?</s>VINSON: He is holding up well. This is not something that any family ever thinks they're going to have to deal with.</s>LEMON: He is her fiance. But you would imagine that they would be in close contact with each other. I mean, people who are in love kiss each other and all those things. Has he been checked out at the hospital?</s>VINSON: He has. He has been to the hospital. He has been given the same instructions given to the other health care workers, to monitor his temperature twice a day.</s>LEMON: How do you feel your niece has been portrayed by the CDC and -- because they're saying there had to be some sort of breach in protocol for the nurses to contract Ebola?</s>VINSON: I believe that there -- it doesn't necessarily mean that there was a breach in protocol. There's obviously problems with the protocol and the procedures, and as evidenced by the fact that they have evolved and changed over time. I feel that there are certain unknowns and certain -- and some gaps in the process. And we are very disturbed by the effort to focus on perceived violations of rules that weren't in place.</s>LEMON: Yes. I want to get something in, because I know this is important to you. You have been upset about some fund-raising efforts purportedly in Amber's name. And I want to give you the opportunity to clear up any confusion about that, that you would like.</s>VINSON: Yes, absolutely. There are no phone or Internet fund-raising activities associated in any way with Amber or our family. So, for those who would like to help, at this point, we are just asking for your support and prayers. And anything purported to be in support of Amber, that is absolutely not the case.</s>LEMON: Lawrence Vincent, you have conducted yourself very well this evening. And your family should be proud of you coming on and sticking up for your niece. And...</s>LEMON: Good luck...</s>VINSON: There is just one more message I would like to convey.</s>LEMON: Absolutely.</s>VINSON: So we have an entire team of health care workers who took on a very difficult mission. We have two of the members of that team that have been severely impacted. But we understand that there was a much larger team who all were dedicated and noble and performing their duties. And we want to share our support for that entire community.</s>LEMON: Thank you very much, Lawrence Vinson. And our thoughts are with Amber, as well as everyone else who has been affected by this. Thank you very much.</s>VINSON: Thank you.</s>LEMON: Thank you.</s>VINSON: Thank you.</s>LEMON: We are watching for nurse Nina Pham's arrival in Maryland tonight. We will bring you that as it happens. You're looking live now at live pictures. Don't go anywhere. We will bring that for you. And when we come right back, charges that nurses in Dallas were not protected as they did heroic work treating Ebola patients. I will ask two congresswomen who are also nurses what they think went wrong.