A 3-year-old girl, who was one of seven patients admitted to the hospital after returning from the center of the coronavirus outbreak, has been re-admitted to the hospital for additional testing.
Annabel Wucinski is in isolation at Rady Children's Hospital awaiting the results of additional testing for coronavirus, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.
According to her father, Frank Wucinski, Annabel had a cough so the hospital performed some X-rays and various virus testing, including a test for coronavirus. The family is awaiting the results.
The Wucinskis were first taken to the hospital last Wednesday, the day a plane carrying 167 passengers from Wuhan, China touched down at MCAS Miramar.
The CDC said that the father, daughter and two other patients first showed signs of fever and cough that warranted their transfer to isolation rooms at local hospitals.
After three days in isolation, the father and daughter tested negative for coronavirus and were released, CDC Dr. Christopher Braden said. The pair were taken back to MCAS Miramar where they expected to finish their 14-day quarantine before returning home.
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But a week later, Annabel Wucinski was taken back to the hospital after exhibiting additional symptoms. Braden said that they still have confidence in the initial negative test results.
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Source: NBC News, staff reports
The Wucinskis have spent weeks dealing with the fallout of the coronavirus outbreak -- from their time in China to their quarantine in San Diego -- and have documented their journey on a GoFundMe page.
Video from the page shows Annabel Wucinski coloring while in isolation at Rady Children's, swinging at a park at MCAS Miramar, with her mother and father-in-law in Wuhan.
Frank Wucinski's father-in-law, whom they were visiting in China, passed away from the virus. His wife is stuck in Wuhan, confined to an apartment.
"She’s only allowed out to see a doctor, go to a hospital for IV drips, basically she has pneumonia," Frank Wucinski said.
Even if he and his daughter are cleared from the hospital with negative coronavirus test results, Frank Wucinski says their journey isn't over until his wife returns home.
"My main concern is getting my wife out of China, getting her here," he said.
CDC officials also shared Tuesday details about a mix-up that led to the release of the patient with San Diego County's first confirmed case of coronavirus.
The woman was in isolation at UC San Diego Health, as was a second patient who was awaiting test results.
The remaining passengers were confined to a quarantine facility, protected by U.S. Marshals, though some expressed frustration with the handling of their care.
A petition signed by some patients was addressed to the CDC on Wednesday, which outlined suggestions to the quarantine process like more testing, better separation between patients and disinfection of common areas.
Frank Wucinski said he is grateful to the doctors at Rady Children's and the team at MCAS Miramar who have supported them -- even providing a makeshift funeral for his father-in-law due to restrictions in China that prevented him from having a burial.
The World Health Organization named the disease caused by the virus as COVID-19. The illness was first reported in December and connected to a food market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak has largely been concentrated.
Deaths in mainland China surpassed 1,100 on Tuesday while the number of confirmed cases surpassed 44,650.
