UNMC Officials Have 13 People In Quarantine Likely For Coronavirus

 OMAHA–(KFOR/AP Feb. 17)–Officials at the University of Nebraska Medical Center said Monday that 12 people in the National Quarantine Unit either have tested positive or likely positive for coronavirus.

One person is in the bio-containment unit for having chronic symptoms, such as lightheadedness and a light cough.  Those in the quarantine unit are there because testing in Japan proved they were at risk for coronavirus.  UNMC officials said at a news conference Monday afternoon they were notified between 2am and 3am about these patients coming into the quarantine unit.   Doctors do not have any results from these patients yet, but should be able to get more info in a 4 to 6-hour window.

American passengers of cruise ship Diamond Princess, which was under a 14-day quarantine in Japan for coronavirus, were brought to UNMC/Nebraska Medicine on Monday morning.

“A handful” of people arriving at Eppley Airfield on Monday morning were transported to UNMC’s National Quarantine Unit — the same place a woman quarantined for coronavirus at Camp Ashland was taken on Friday.  Two flights from the same airline that earlier this month brought 57 people quarantined for coronavirus to Omaha from China landed at Eppley Airfield on Monday morning.

People in containment suits were seen around the flights.  The first Kalitta Air flight arrived in Omaha just after 7 a.m. Monday; the flight originated in Tokyo with a stop at Travis Air Force Base in Sacramento. The second Kalitta Air flight originating in San Antonio landed in Eppley just before 9 a.m. Monday.

The Associated Press reported that a plane carrying American passengers from a cruise ship that was quarantined in Japan landed at a Northern California air force base just before midnight Sunday; A second flight touched down at a San Antonio air force base around 2.5 hours later.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed 14 Diamond Princess passengers tested positive for COVID-19 a couple of days ago, and that those passengers were scheduled to deplane at Travis AFB or a base in San Antonio and remain under quarantine for two weeks.

“Passengers that develop symptoms in flight and those with positive test results will remain isolated on the flights and will be transported to an appropriate location for continued isolation and care,” the DHHS release states.

Local authorities referred questions about the flights to federal authorities, who said there’s not a plan to move more evacuees to Camp Ashland.