Appearing on CNN this afternoon, correspondent Poppy Harlow reported one truly bizarre detail about the Columbia Presbyterian doctor who recently returned from West Africa and was rushed to New York City’s Bellevue Hospital Thursday to be tested for Ebola.
According to CNN, the man, identified by CBS News as Dr. Craig Spencer, did not self-quarantine after returning from Guinea, where he was working with Doctors Without Borders to treat Ebola patients, and as recently as last night took an Uber car to a bowling alley in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He apparently did not report having any Ebola-like symptoms until today, when he called 911 to report his high fever and nausea. The results of his Ebola test will not be available for another 12 hours or so, and it’s entirely possible that this is one big false alarm.
And, of course, Twitter could not help but react to the part of the story involving Uber:
Uber, but for Ebola.
— daveweigel (@daveweigel) October 23, 2014
Wow the latest competitive tactic from @lyft is really upsetting
— Bridget Williams (@bridgetwi) October 23, 2014
NYC Doctor who may have ebola got into an Uber yesterday. This could explain why he didn't check into the hospital until today.
— Lizz Winstead (@lizzwinstead) October 23, 2014
Uber driver trying to retroactively put Ebola doctor down as “one star."
— Ryan Teague Beckwith (@ryanbeckwith) October 23, 2014
Uber, but for delivering the same uber joke about ebola pic.twitter.com/GEH0qSjnQk
— Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) October 23, 2014
UPDATE –– 8:54 p.m.: Spencer has tested positive for Ebola.
Watch video below, via CNN:
UPDATE — Oct. 24, 11:00 a.m. ET: A spokesperson for Uber submitted the following statement to Mediaite confirming Dr. Craig Spencer’s ride on Wednesday night:
We reviewed our records and were able to confirm that one of our driver partners in New York provided a ride to the patient yesterday evening. We immediately contacted the CDC and NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH), which stated that neither our driver partner nor any of his subsequent passengers are at risk. We have communicated this to the driver, and the NYC DOHMH medical team met with the driver in person, assuring him that he is not at risk. Our thoughts are with the patient and his loved ones.
[Photo via screengrab]
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