Advertisement Dr. Sacra released from hospital after respiratory infection UMass Memorial Hospital monitoring doctor cleared of Ebola virus Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The Massachusetts doctor admitted to a hospital this weekend for an apparent respiratory infection after surviving the Ebola virus was released on Monday.Late Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control confirmed Ebola test results for Dr. Richard Sacra came back negative. Officials at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester removed Sacra from isolation, where he was placed as a precaution. He was admitted Saturday and was treated for an upper respiratory infection that doctors believe is not related to Ebola he contracted in Africa.Dr. Robert Finberg, who is leading Sacra's medical team, said at a news conference Sunday that doctors were confident Sacra's symptoms are not related to the Ebola he contracted in Africa.Finberg and hospital President Patrick Muldoon stressed that there is no threat to the public and that the hospital is operating under normal conditions."People are very concerned, that's why we're being extremely cautious," Finberg said. "We're not taking risks with Dr. Sacra and his caregivers."Asked why doctors believe Sacra's symptoms are not related to Ebola, Finberg said he was not aware of any case of Ebola recurring in surviving patients, and Sacra was feeling better and eating.Finberg said Sacra was just being responsible when he decided to go a hospital.Sacra, of Holden, returned to Massachusetts on Sept. 25 after weeks of treatment at an Omaha, Nebraska, hospital.He spent much of the last two decades in Liberia, working with a missionary group. He also works at Family Health Center of Worcester.Bruce Johnson, president of the SIM USA missionary group, said in a news release that Sacra first visited a Boston-area hospital emergency room Saturday morning because of a persistent cough, low-grade fever and concern that he might be getting pneumonia. Johnson said Sacra was transferred to UMass Memorial for observation as a precaution under CDC guidelines.Muldoon said the CDC advised hospital officials to keep Sacra in isolation until the Ebola testing results come in. Muldoon said UMass Memorial is well-equipped to handle infectious diseases.