- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) admitted on Sunday that it released a patient from quarantine who later tested positive for COVID-19.
- In a statement, the CDC said an individual was being treated at a local medical facility for several weeks after returning to the US from Wuhan, China.
- The patient was discharged after meeting all of CDC's criteria for release but was later brought back under quarantine after testing positive for the disease.
- San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a statement that the CDC's actions were "unacceptable."
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Sunday that a patient in San Antonio, Texas, who was being treated for COVID-19, was released from quarantine but later returned after testing positive for the disease.
The coronavirus, which causes a disease known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 60 other countries and has killed more than 3,000 people and infected over 89,000 more.
In a statement on Sunday, the CDC said an individual was being treated at a local medical facility for several weeks after returning to the US from Wuhan, China, known as the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. The person was under isolation for the duration of treatment in the US.
According to the CDC, the patient was discharged from the facility after meeting "all of CDC's criteria for release – resolution of any symptoms and two consecutive sets of negative test results, collected more than 24 hours apart." The CDC noted that the patient was "asymptomatic" upon release from the medical center.
But following the patient's release, a subsequent sample tested "weakly positive" for the COVID-19, leading the CDC to bring the individual back under quarantine at the medical center out of an "abundance of caution."
"The discharged patient had some contact with others while out of isolation, and CDC and local public health partners are following up to trace possible exposures and notify them of their potential risk," the press release said.
"CDC is aware that others have encountered similar situations where test results have alternated back and forth between negative and positive," it added. "That is part of why CDC criteria states that a patient must have two negative test results from specimens taken more than 24 hours apart. The cycle of the virologic infection on this particular patient is longer than what has been previously seen."
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a statement that the CDC's actions were "unacceptable."
"The fact that the CDC allowed the public to be exposed to a patient with a positive COVID-19 reading is unacceptable," Nirenberg said. "We will hold the CDC accountable for providing complete transparency for the public. This situation is exactly why we have been asking for federal officials to accept the guidance of our medical community."
"Our San Antonio Metro Health District and other local officials continue to address the situation with the utmost professionalism and care," he added. "We will do everything within our power to ensure that the community is kept safe and the exposure risk remains low."
The US has reported more than 85 coronavirus cases, including 44 passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Japan.
On Sunday, the US Department of Health and Human Services said it was investigating the production of faulty coronavirus test kits. Nine US coronavirus cases were reported on Sunday, including New York state's first confirmed case.
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