Officials: no Ebola at Cartersville Hospital

A hoax telephone call and a patient with suspected Ebola symptoms sent the Cartersville community into overdrive last week.

According to a Bartow County Sheriff’s Department report, someone called the triage desk at Cartersville Medical Center between 1:15 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Monday and stated that a 19-yearold man suffering from several symptoms consisted with the Ebola virus would be arriving to the emergency room within the next 10 to 15 minutes with his mother. The caller, who gave her name, further said the man had been in contact with someone quarantined for the virus.

Hospital personnel called the proper authorities and locked down the hospital.

“However, that call was determined to be unfounded as we did not receive anyone during that span of time,” said Ginger Tyre, hospital director of marketing and public relations.

Initiating the protocol cost the hospital around $3,000, the police report said.

The protocol included medical personal in contamination suits and set- ting up isolation, causing a ripple of rumors throughout the city and a deluge of questions on social media.

Tyre said the hospital did admit a patient, completely unrelated to the telephone call, with Ebola symptoms into its emergency room later on Monday.

She said the patient was isolated but was released after it was determined the patient did not have Ebola.