Brandie Piper

KSDK-TV

CRYSTAL CITY, Mo. – Preliminary test results from a nurse isolated at a Jefferson County hospital have come back negative for the Ebola virus.

According to Warren Robinson, director of emergency management for Jefferson County, the patient is a female nurse who recently returned from Liberia. She is currently receiving care at Mercy Jefferson Hospital in Crystal City.

Robinson says the woman was in West Africa assisting with the health care crisis, but was not in direct contact with patients, so she is considered to be at "low-risk" for an Ebola infection. When she returned to the United States she went through Ebola testing at the airport.

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The woman checked in with the Jefferson County Health Department when she arrived home in Jefferson County, and medical officials have been monitoring her daily.

On Thursday morning the woman came down with a fever. She was taken to an isolation unit at an off-site surgical center affiliated with Mercy Jefferson Hospital, according to a statement from hospital spokesperson John Winkelman. He says she never entered the hospital and did not come into contact with any other patients.

Her blood samples were analyzed at a lab in Jefferson City. Transportation of the samples was expedited by Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers, and preliminary results were ready Thursday night. She will continue to be isolated for 72 hours, and if she is still exhibiting symptoms she will be re-tested.

Robinson says hospital staff has been going through training and exercises and feel they were well-prepared for this incident

Winkelman said in a statement the medical staff caring for the woman is highly-trained and are wearing protective garments that exceed CDC guidelines. They are not caring for any other patients. Here is his entire statement:

"Mercy is working in collaboration with the Jefferson County Health Department and Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services in evaluating a patient who recently returned from West Africa. The patient is considered low risk for Ebola, but we are taking all appropriate safety precautions, using protocols established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"As established in our Ebola planning for this region, the patient was admitted directly to an isolation unit in an off-site surgical center near Mercy Hospital Jefferson and never entered the main hospital building, including the ER. There was zero contact with other patients. The patient is being cared for by highly trained co-workers who are wearing personal protective equipment exceeding the CDC recommended guidelines and who are caring for no other patients. The team of volunteer, hospital-based clinicians has undergone specialized training in order to provide the highest levels of treatment to patients and to ensure their own health and safety. Mercy is committed to the highest levels of care and safety for everyone, including our patients, visitors and co-workers."

Pam Pinkley, a spokesperson for the Jefferson County Health Department, released this statement:

"Mercy is working in collaboration with the Jefferson County Health Department and Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services in evaluating a patient who recently returned from West Africa. The patient is considered low risk for Ebola, but we are taking all appropriate safety precautions, using protocols established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As established in our Ebola planning for this region, the patient was admitted directly to an isolation unit in an off-site surgical center near Mercy Hospital Jefferson and never entered the main hospital building, including the ER. There was zero contact with other patients. The patient is being cared for by highly trained co-workers who are wearing personal protective equipment exceeding the CDC recommended guidelines and who are caring for no other patients. The team of volunteer, hospital-based clinicians has undergone specialized training in order to provide the highest levels of treatment to patients and to ensure their own health and safety. Mercy is committed to the highest levels of care and safety for everyone, including our patients, visitors and co-workers."

Here is the original statement released by Bethany Pope, media relations manager for Mercy, Thursday morning:

"Mercy Hospital Jefferson is working in collaboration with the Jefferson County Health Department in the evaluation of a patient who recently returned from West Africa. The patient is considered low risk but we are taking all appropriate safety precautions, using protocols established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The patient is being isolated in a facility separate from the main hospital. A team of specially trained staff members are providing care solely to this patient. Further inquiries are directed to the county health department."