Family of Amber Vinson says she is free of the virus

Samantha Ickes

The family of Amber Vinson, the nurse and Kent State graduate who contracted Ebola after treating an Ebola patient, said Vinson is free of the virus in a statement released Wednesday, Oct. 22.

Officials at Emory University Hospital and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can no longer detect the virus in her body, the statement said.

Officials also approved Vinson for transfer from isolation though she remains under treatment in Emory’s Serious Communicable Diseases Unit.

“We all know that further treatment will be necessary as Amber continues to regain strength,” said Debra Berry, Vinson’s mother and senior assistant to Kent State President Beverly Warren, in the statement, “but these latest developments have truly answered prayers and bring our family one step closer to reuniting with her at home.”

According to the Associated Press, 164 individuals in Ohio who are believed to have had contact with or been near Vinson while she was visiting are still having their health monitored.

Contact Samantha Ickes at [email protected].