Dallas nurse Amber Vinson will be released from an Atlanta hospital today after tests showed she's free of the Ebola virus, a hospital spokeswoman says. The 29-year-old will be leaving Emory University Hospital after attending a 1pm news conference where she will make a statement. Vinson's family announced six days ago that doctors could no longer detect the deadly virus in her body, a step toward recovery her mother described as an answered prayer.
It remains unclear exactly how Vinson and fellow nurse Nina Pham became infected. Vinson attended to Thomas Duncan on Sept. 30, the day he tested positive for Ebola, according to medical records that Duncan's family released to the AP. Like Pham, the reports note that Vinson wore protective gear and a face shield, hazardous materials suit, and protective footwear. At the time, Duncan's body fluids were highly infectious if someone made contact with them. At one point, Vinson inserted a catheter into Duncan. (More Ebola stories.)