When Bellevue hospital showed off its preparations for Ebola earlier this month, the epidemic still seemed a long way from New York and it looked like a mildly humorous bit of public relations theater. There was something comical about seeing fully-clad staff members stretching their gloved hands towards the camera. Now, of course, the reality has become much more serious, as the hospital treats its first patient, a New York doctor back from volunteering in Africa with Doctors Without Borders.
Dr. Craig Spencer is the fourth person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S. and the first in New York.