Advertisement University of Maryland Medical Center patient tests negative for Ebola Md. health officials: Patient was isolated Monday out of caution Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A patient who was isolated at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore for Ebola testing Monday evening does not have the deadly virus, officials announced Tuesday.Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene officials announced early Tuesday that the patient tested negative for Ebola. The department said that person will continue to receive the appropriate treatment.Mobile users, tap here for videoThe patient was transferred to UMMC on Monday evening and was isolated to receive further assessment and care, a UMMC official said. Baltimore City's health commissioner wanted to calm potential fears."It's cautionary and there is absolutely no need for individuals to think there is Ebola in Baltimore City. There are still no confirmed cases in Maryland," Dr. Jacquelyn Duval-Harvey said.UMMC is one of three hospitals designated to care for potential Ebola patients in Maryland.The Maryland DHMH released a statement about the patient's transfer on Monday, saying, "As the University of Maryland Medical System has confirmed, there is a patient under evaluation for a possible Ebola infection. The system is working as intended: The individual identified a symptom of concern and called for assistance, DHMH arranged for safe transport, and the patient is being evaluated in an isolation room at the hospital. The initial evaluation is suggestive of a diagnosis other than Ebola infection. ... Now that the state will be actively monitoring all travelers from affected countries in West Africa, and it is also flu season, it is certain that additional individuals will need evaluation over the coming months."Officials would not release the name of the patient, where the patient came from or what the circumstances were. Officials would also not comment on what procedures were followed, only saying debriefings of the involved staff were being conducted.That announcement came the same day as Maryland adopted a more detailed Ebola strategy.Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: Ebola virus informationIn Maryland, passengers tracked through a national database arriving from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea will be subject to strict monitoring and will be divided into three categories: High risk, including those who know they had exposure to Ebola; some risk, such as health care workers who did not have a breach of protective gear; and low risk, those with no known exposure."Its communication is much more clear and cohesive, so that I think it's going to instill a lot more public trust," said Trudy Henson, public health program manager for the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security.Henson said the plan is more cohesive than quarantine policies in New York and New Jersey, which could have a negative effect as far as conquering the virus."A lot of health care workers feel those policies cause health care workers to be reluctant to go to West Africa to help the efforts. I know that it has been called out for unintended consequences. I think that's a concern," Henson said.More: Chris Christie on Ebola policy: 'We're not moving an inch'Meanwhile, Ebola test results on a 5-year-old boy in New York have also come back negative, but health officials there said he will remain in isolation.Refresh wbaltv.com and our app, and watch 11 News for late-breaking updates. Mobile users tap here to see Ebola facts vs. fictionWBAL-TV 11 News reporters George Lettis and Lowell Melser contributed to this report