Richmond, Va. - Doctors and officials involved with the negative Ebola case do not regret alerting the public.
"We followed CDC protocols and our internal protocols," Dr. Mike Murchie with Crossover Healthcare Ministry told CBS 6.
Dr. Murchie said he wore protective clothing when he interviewed the patient who he described as "patient" during the process.
"We had a patient in a high risk area from west Africa that recently travelled there, who also was presenting a low-grade temperature," Dr. Murchie said.
In addition to ensuring proper protocols were met, all names of staffers who interacted with the patient were recorded in case a positive result occurred.
Following a period of isolation, that patient was transported to VCU Medical Center where after a period of tests were performed the CDC finally authorized an Ebola test.
The Virginia Health Department told CBS 6 the CDC initially declined requests for an Ebola test, believing the patient did not have enough symptoms to pose a risk.
"This was a dry run," Dr. Donald Stern, Richmond's Health Department Director, said.
Stern told CBS 6 right now Virginians should be focused on another illness as well - the flu -- for which a vaccine does exist.
After all, thousands die each each year for the flu while Ebola has killed only one person so far in the United States.
"What we ought to be worried about right now is the flu and let's get our flu vaccine," Stern said.
