UPDATE: The spokesperson for the city of New Haven confirms to FOX CT that the official CDC test results for the patient have come back negative.
Initial test results came back negative for Ebola Thursday afternoon, Yale doctors said. Samples from the patient were sent to the Massachusetts State Public Health laboratory and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing.
“Certainly this is encouraging news,” Governor Dannel Malloy said. “While the initial test results are negative, Dr. Mullen has made the determination that it is in the best interest for residents in New Haven and the surrounding area that the patient remain isolated as we await official test results from the CDC.”
To keep healthcare staff members safe, hospital officials said they will continue all advanced safety protocols.
"Due to an overabundance of caution, before we fully rule it out, we will wait for the CDC official confirmation of the test result," said Dr. Thomas Balcezak, Yale-New Haven Hospital Chief Medical Officer.
The patient, a Yale graduate student, is currently being isolated, state officials said. The student recently returned from a trip to Liberia with another Yale researcher. Public Health Commissioner Dr. Jewel Mullen issued a Quarantine Order Thursday for the second researcher for 21 days from the date the students returned to the United States.
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, the senior Democrat on the subcommittee responsible for funding the CDC and National Institutes of Health, thanked the first responders for their quick actions.
“The preliminary negative result is great news," Delauro said. "But we must not allow this to lower our defenses. Every precaution needs to continue to be taken when a possible case arises."
