(NBC NEWS) Ebola fears prompted school closures and nursing staff to stay home Thursday in Cleveland as the Ohio city grappled with mounting public concern after it emerged that the second Dallas nurse infected by the virus had spent time there. Amber Vinson, 29, who treated Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan, flew to Ohio on Oct. 8 and then back to Texas on Monday. She tested positive for Ebola Tuesday, putting officials in a spin over who might have had contact with the nurse.
Cleveland Clinic, The MetroHealth System, and University Hospitals said employees – “mostly nurses” – who were aboard Vinson’s flight from Dallas to Ohio were placed on paid leave and were being monitored.
“We are confident that these nurses are at low risk of exposure since we understand [Vinson] did not have symptoms at the time. We have taken this measure as an extra precautionary step for our employees, patients, and visitors,” the hospitals said in a statement.
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