New York City’s first (and so far only) Ebola patient, Dr. Craig Spencer, seems to be doing better. His condition has been labeled “serious but stable” since last week, when a Bellevue spokesperson said he was “entering the next and more serious phase of his illness.” On Saturday, Spencer’s doctors upgraded his condition to plain “stable.” “[He] will remain in isolation and continue to receive full treatment,” said a hospital statement.
Spencer is reportedly “awake, communicating, and in good spirits.” While the details of his treatment have not been released, he is said to have received a plasma transfusion from American nurse and Ebola survivor Nancy Writebol.
Meanwhile, another American nurse who beat Ebola, Nina Pham, has finally been reunited with her Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Bentley. Many had worried that Bentley would meet the same sad fate as Excalibur, the dog euthanized by the Spanish government after his owner, nurse’s assistant Teresa Romero, came down with Ebola. Luckily, health officials decided to quarantine Bentley instead of killing him. The Associated Press reports that the little guy spent the last 21 days in “a vacant residence where officers once lived at a decommissioned naval air base,” where “veterinarians in full personal protective gear checked on him daily.” He has now tested negative for Ebola three times.
“I feel like Bentley reentering my life is another reminder of hope and encouragement for me moving forward and fulfilling my life to the fullest with my best friend by my side again,” said Pham, who contracted Ebola while caring for Thomas Eric Duncan in Dallas. The appropriate response here is “awww.”
