San Antonio and Bexar County officials are continuing to voice concerns after a patient who had been in quarantine was released only to have a positive test come back after their release.
The woman is now back in isolation, but the incident has caused concern and questions about how the CDC is handling the situation.
Officials say after being released, the woman spent time at North Star Mall and the Holiday Inn Express near San Antonio International Airport, before being notified that she had tested postive.
The mall was notified of the situation on Monday morning and city health leaders recommended a deep cleaning of the mall due to the situation.
Additionally, the hotel where the patient stayed was identified as the Holiday Inn at the San Antonio Airport. Exposure at that location was also considered to be low, health officials said.
Officials say the woman initially tested negative twice during the quarantine period. A third test that was returned after her release showed a 'weakly positive' result. She was since returned to isolation and is currently in the care of the Texas Center for Infectious Disease.
Statement from the CDC:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is retesting an individual who was released from isolation for COVID-19 at a local healthcare facility yesterday (because the individual met the criteria for release including two negative test results), but later returned to isolation after a pending, subsequent lab test came up positive for the virus that causes COVID-19.
This patient had been under isolation while being treated at a local medical facility for several weeks following a return to the U.S. from Wuhan, China, on a State Department chartered flight. At the time of discharge from the facility, the patient was asymptomatic and met 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. Following the patient’s release, results of a subsequent sample were received, and determined to be weakly positive. Out of an abundance of caution, CDC decided to bring the individual back into isolation at a local medical facility.
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.
It’s important to remember that this is a new virus and we are learning more about it every day. The cycle of infection with COVID-19 is not yet well understood, but the amount of virus is typically highest when the person is sickest. As the illness resolves, the amount of virus falls.
CDC is aware that others have encountered similar situations where test results have alternated back and forth between negative and positive. 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.
This is an unfolding situation with many unknowns. CDC is making decisions on a case-by-case basis using the best available science at the time. CDC’s priority is to protect both patients and communities.