The Texas hospital where two nurses were infected treating Ebola-patient Thomas Eric Duncan has apologized for the first time in their mismanaged handling of the outbreak. But it may be too little too late for the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital's nursing staff, who are threatening to stage a walk off after inadequate guidelines left them exposed to the virus for two days. The Dallas hospital's Chief Clinical Officer Dr Daniel Varga admits they 'made mistakes' when Duncan first showed up at the hospital with Ebola symptoms. He was initially sent away with antibiotics, despite telling health care workers that he had recently arrived from Liberia - one of the three countries currently battling the largest outbreak of the disease in history. 'Unfortunately, in our initial treatment of Mr. Duncan, despite our best intentions and a highly skilled medical team, we made mistakes. We did not correctly diagnose his symptoms as those of Ebola. We are deeply sorry,' Dr Varga says in a statement to Congress, released Wednesday. Scroll down for videos . 'We are deeply sorry': Dr Daniel Varga, chief clinical officer at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, has apologized for the first time in their handling of Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan (pictured) Regrets: Dr Varga's apology comes in a letter written in Congress. Pictured above in Dallas on Wednesday . A Congressional committee had called Dr Varga to testify on Thursday, but he said he would not be able to make the meeting in person since he is busy dealing with the crisis at his hospital. While Dr Varga apologized for the initial misdiagnosis of Duncan, he says once the patient was brought back to the hospital he was 'treated with the most appropriate and available medical interventions'. When Duncan succumbed to the disease last week, the entire hospital grieved. 'It was devastating to the nurses, doctors, and team who tried so hard to save his life. We keep his family in our thoughts and prayers,' Dr Varga said. Included in the statement, is a section on 'lessons learned and steps taken' in the aftermath of Duncan's death, and the subsequent diagnosis of two nurses. Dr Varga writes that staff are now taking travel history from patients at 'first point of contact' in the emergency room. They are also taking a more 'proactive, intensive' approach to training staff on how to deal with Ebola. 'We are determined to be an agent for change across the US healthcare system by helping our peers benefit from our experience,' Dr Varga wrote. Meanwhile, representatives of the National Nurses Union told CNN they are threatening to stage a walk off after nurses Nina Pham, 26, and Amber Vinson, 29, contracted the disease this week. Sickened: Amber Vinson (left) and Nina Pham (right) both cared for Thomas Eric Duncan and both have been diagnosed with Ebola . 'Nurses have the right, if we're going to risk our lives caring for these patients, to have . . . optimal equipment, including Hazmat suits,' Katy Roemer said Wednesday on CNN's Erin Burnett Out Front. It's still unknown how Pham and Vinson became infected with the disease, but they were two of the . Despite suspecting that Duncan, a Liberian national, was sick with the highly contagious disease, hospital staff did not suit up to protect themselves until his diagnosis was confirmed by lab tests, the Dallas Morning News reported. The shocking revelation, culled from Duncan's medical records that were given to the Associated Press, is just the latest report of shortcomings in the protection of hospital workers who were looking after America's Ebola 'patient zero.' Combined, they paint a picture of how two nurses might have become infected with the deadly virus, despite claims that the hospital staff were the 'best in the world' and taking every precaution. Proper protection: These nurses at Bellevue Hospital in New York City demonstrated the garb needed to protect nurses treating Ebola patients during a drill . Exposed: This picture of a nurse at Presbyterian Hospital transporting a Dallas County sheriff's deputy who feared he had Ebola last week, shows that the protective garb exposes the neck below the face mask . On Tuesday, the National Nurses Union revealed that several nurses from Presbyterian Hospital had come to them with reports that, among other things: some supervisors told hospital staff that masks were not necessary when dealing with Duncan, that gloves and face masks left skin partially exposed and that Duncan was not isolated for hours after being taken to the hospital. RoseAnn DeMoro, director of the union, blasted the Centers of Disease Control for seemingly blaming the nurses for their own infections. 'Our nurses are not protected, they're not prepared to handle Ebola or any other pandemics,' she said on Tuesday. 'The protocols that should have been in place in Dallas were not in place and are not in place anywhere in the United States, as far as we can tell.' Hospital investigators are focusing on September 28 - the day Duncan was admitted - to September 30 - the day that Ebola was confirmed - as a likely window for both Ms Pham and Ms Vinson being infected, the Morning News reports. Lapses: The National Nurses Union says nurses at Texas Presbyterian Hospital have reported that protective suits left their necks exposed below the face mask . Gloves were not tapped to protective suits, exposing wrists and hands to exposure from bodily fluids . Shockingly, some supervisors reportedly told nurses that they didn't need protective masks at all . Ms DeMoro and co-director Deborah Burger revealed that nurses from Texas Presbyterian Hospital have reported several grievous lapses in protection for healthcare workers who looked after Duncan. The union, which does not represent any of the nurses at Texas Presbyterian, said the healthcare workers came to them because they believed they had no other way to report the dangerous security lapses. The startling claims include: . Ebola is a virus that spreads by touching the blood, sweat, saliva or other bodily fluids of an infected person. Even a small amount of infected fluid on the skin can cause an infection. All of the Americans who have contracted the disease, including trained healthcare workers who were in Liberia, have said they took meticulous precautions to protect themselves and have no idea how or when they became infected. The nursing union says that Thomas Eric Duncan was left in an open area of a Dallas emergency room for hours, and the nurses treating him worked for days without proper protective gear and faced constantly changing protocols. It says nurses were also forced to use medical tape to secure openings in their flimsy garments, worried that their necks and heads were exposed as they cared for a patient with explosive diarrhea and projectile vomiting. They also make the frightening allegation that nurses treating Duncan were also caring for other patients in the hospital at the same time. Burger convened a conference call with reporters to relay what she said were concerns of nurses at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, where Thomas Eric Duncan - the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S. - died last week. RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of Nurses United, said the statement came from 'several' nurses, but she refused repeated inquiries to state how many. She said the organization had vetted the claims, and that the nurses cited were in a position to know what had occurred at the hospital. She refused to elaborate. Nurses say 'the guidelines were constantly changing' at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital - and claims hazardous waste was left to pile to the ceiling in the room that Duncan was being treated. The emergency entrance to Texas Health Presbyterian hospital in Dallas. Hospital officials have said they are no longer accepting new patients at this time after a healthcare worker, who was caring for Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, tested positive for the disease . Speaking at the hastily arranged press conference call on Tuesday, DeMoro and union co-director Deborah Burger alleged an unprofessional and careless approach to Ebola at Texas Health Presbyterian hospital. Ultimately, according to DeMoro and Burger, the nurses feel 'unsupported, unprepared, lied to and deserted', especially in light of CDC Director Thomas Frieden's assertion that a 'breach in protocol' led 26-year-old nurse Nina Pham to become infected. 'This nurse was being blamed for not following protocols that did not exist. ... The nurses in that hospital were very angry, and they decided to contact us,' DeMoro said. Texas Health Presbyterian spokesman Wendell Watson denied all of these allegations from the nurses union. 'We have numerous measures in place to provide a safe working environment, including mandatory annual training and a 24-7 hotline and other mechanisms that allow for anonymous reporting,' Watson said in a written statement. Pham treated Duncan from the day he was admitted to the hospital, to when he died last Wednesday. She carefully monitored her temperature and went to the hospital on Friday when she noticed a spike. On Tuesday, her condition was upgraded from 'stable' to 'good'.
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital's Chief Clinical Officer Dr Daniel Varga issued an apology in his statement to Congress, released Wednesday .
He says hospital made a mistake in turning America's Ebola 'patient zero' Thomas Eric Duncan away when he first reported symptoms .
Apology comes as nurses in Dallas are threatening to walk off to protest lack of preparation to deal with an Ebola patient .
On Tuesday, it was revealed that nurses didn't wear protective clothing to care for Duncan until after his Ebola diagnosis was confirmed .
Two nurses who looked after Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital have been infected with the disease .
Nurses union alleges that necks and wrists were exposed and some nurses were told they didn't need to wear face masks .
Glove openings were not taped shut on protective suits, exposing wrists and hands to exposure .
Protective clothing did not cover necks, exposing skin between the collar and the bottom of the face shield .
To cover their necks, nurses were told to use tape that does not block the virus .
Some supervisors told nurses that face masks were not required at all when caring for Duncan .
Duncan was not isolated immediately when he was finally admitted to the hospital with Ebola symptoms and was left for several hours in a hospital ward with other patients nearby .
A nursing supervisor faced resistance from hospital chiefs when nurses demanded Duncan be isolated .
Nurses treating Duncan were also caring for other patients in the hospital .
Patients who may have been exposed to Duncan were kept in isolation only for a day before being moved to areas with other patients .
The Texas hospital where two nurses were infected treating Ebola-patient Thomas Eric Duncan has apologized for the first time in their mismanaged handling of the outbreak. But it may be too little too late for the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital's nursing staff, who are threatening to stage a walk off after inadequate guidelines left them exposed to the virus for two days. The Dallas hospital's Chief Clinical Officer Dr Daniel Varga admits they 'made mistakes' when Duncan first showed up at the hospital with Ebola symptoms. He was initially sent away with antibiotics, despite telling health care workers that he had recently arrived from Liberia - one of the three countries currently battling the largest outbreak of the disease in history. 'Unfortunately, in our initial treatment of Mr. Duncan, despite our best intentions and a highly skilled medical team, we made mistakes. We did not correctly diagnose his symptoms as those of Ebola. We are deeply sorry,' Dr Varga says in a statement to Congress, released Wednesday. Scroll down for videos . 'We are deeply sorry': Dr Daniel Varga, chief clinical officer at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, has apologized for the first time in their handling of Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan (pictured) Regrets: Dr Varga's apology comes in a letter written in Congress. Pictured above in Dallas on Wednesday . A Congressional committee had called Dr Varga to testify on Thursday, but he said he would not be able to make the meeting in person since he is busy dealing with the crisis at his hospital. While Dr Varga apologized for the initial misdiagnosis of Duncan, he says once the patient was brought back to the hospital he was 'treated with the most appropriate and available medical interventions'. When Duncan succumbed to the disease last week, the entire hospital grieved. 'It was devastating to the nurses, doctors, and team who tried so hard to save his life. We keep his family in our thoughts and prayers,' Dr Varga said. Included in the statement, is a section on 'lessons learned and steps taken' in the aftermath of Duncan's death, and the subsequent diagnosis of two nurses. Dr Varga writes that staff are now taking travel history from patients at 'first point of contact' in the emergency room. They are also taking a more 'proactive, intensive' approach to training staff on how to deal with Ebola. 'We are determined to be an agent for change across the US healthcare system by helping our peers benefit from our experience,' Dr Varga wrote. Meanwhile, representatives of the National Nurses Union told CNN they are threatening to stage a walk off after nurses Nina Pham, 26, and Amber Vinson, 29, contracted the disease this week. Sickened: Amber Vinson (left) and Nina Pham (right) both cared for Thomas Eric Duncan and both have been diagnosed with Ebola . 'Nurses have the right, if we're going to risk our lives caring for these patients, to have . . . optimal equipment, including Hazmat suits,' Katy Roemer said Wednesday on CNN's Erin Burnett Out Front. It's still unknown how Pham and Vinson became infected with the disease, but they were two of the . Despite suspecting that Duncan, a Liberian national, was sick with the highly contagious disease, hospital staff did not suit up to protect themselves until his diagnosis was confirmed by lab tests, the Dallas Morning News reported. The shocking revelation, culled from Duncan's medical records that were given to the Associated Press, is just the latest report of shortcomings in the protection of hospital workers who were looking after America's Ebola 'patient zero.' Combined, they paint a picture of how two nurses might have become infected with the deadly virus, despite claims that the hospital staff were the 'best in the world' and taking every precaution. Proper protection: These nurses at Bellevue Hospital in New York City demonstrated the garb needed to protect nurses treating Ebola patients during a drill . Exposed: This picture of a nurse at Presbyterian Hospital transporting a Dallas County sheriff's deputy who feared he had Ebola last week, shows that the protective garb exposes the neck below the face mask . On Tuesday, the National Nurses Union revealed that several nurses from Presbyterian Hospital had come to them with reports that, among other things: some supervisors told hospital staff that masks were not necessary when dealing with Duncan, that gloves and face masks left skin partially exposed and that Duncan was not isolated for hours after being taken to the hospital. RoseAnn DeMoro, director of the union, blasted the Centers of Disease Control for seemingly blaming the nurses for their own infections. 'Our nurses are not protected, they're not prepared to handle Ebola or any other pandemics,' she said on Tuesday. 'The protocols that should have been in place in Dallas were not in place and are not in place anywhere in the United States, as far as we can tell.' Hospital investigators are focusing on September 28 - the day Duncan was admitted - to September 30 - the day that Ebola was confirmed - as a likely window for both Ms Pham and Ms Vinson being infected, the Morning News reports. Lapses: The National Nurses Union says nurses at Texas Presbyterian Hospital have reported that protective suits left their necks exposed below the face mask . Gloves were not tapped to protective suits, exposing wrists and hands to exposure from bodily fluids . Shockingly, some supervisors reportedly told nurses that they didn't need protective masks at all . Ms DeMoro and co-director Deborah Burger revealed that nurses from Texas Presbyterian Hospital have reported several grievous lapses in protection for healthcare workers who looked after Duncan. The union, which does not represent any of the nurses at Texas Presbyterian, said the healthcare workers came to them because they believed they had no other way to report the dangerous security lapses. The startling claims include: . Ebola is a virus that spreads by touching the blood, sweat, saliva or other bodily fluids of an infected person. Even a small amount of infected fluid on the skin can cause an infection. All of the Americans who have contracted the disease, including trained healthcare workers who were in Liberia, have said they took meticulous precautions to protect themselves and have no idea how or when they became infected. The nursing union says that Thomas Eric Duncan was left in an open area of a Dallas emergency room for hours, and the nurses treating him worked for days without proper protective gear and faced constantly changing protocols. It says nurses were also forced to use medical tape to secure openings in their flimsy garments, worried that their necks and heads were exposed as they cared for a patient with explosive diarrhea and projectile vomiting. They also make the frightening allegation that nurses treating Duncan were also caring for other patients in the hospital at the same time. Burger convened a conference call with reporters to relay what she said were concerns of nurses at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, where Thomas Eric Duncan - the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S. - died last week. RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of Nurses United, said the statement came from 'several' nurses, but she refused repeated inquiries to state how many. She said the organization had vetted the claims, and that the nurses cited were in a position to know what had occurred at the hospital. She refused to elaborate. Nurses say 'the guidelines were constantly changing' at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital - and claims hazardous waste was left to pile to the ceiling in the room that Duncan was being treated. The emergency entrance to Texas Health Presbyterian hospital in Dallas. Hospital officials have said they are no longer accepting new patients at this time after a healthcare worker, who was caring for Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, tested positive for the disease . Speaking at the hastily arranged press conference call on Tuesday, DeMoro and union co-director Deborah Burger alleged an unprofessional and careless approach to Ebola at Texas Health Presbyterian hospital. Ultimately, according to DeMoro and Burger, the nurses feel 'unsupported, unprepared, lied to and deserted', especially in light of CDC Director Thomas Frieden's assertion that a 'breach in protocol' led 26-year-old nurse Nina Pham to become infected. 'This nurse was being blamed for not following protocols that did not exist. ... The nurses in that hospital were very angry, and they decided to contact us,' DeMoro said. Texas Health Presbyterian spokesman Wendell Watson denied all of these allegations from the nurses union. 'We have numerous measures in place to provide a safe working environment, including mandatory annual training and a 24-7 hotline and other mechanisms that allow for anonymous reporting,' Watson said in a written statement. Pham treated Duncan from the day he was admitted to the hospital, to when he died last Wednesday. She carefully monitored her temperature and went to the hospital on Friday when she noticed a spike. On Tuesday, her condition was upgraded from 'stable' to 'good'.
The Texas hospital where two nurses were infected Hospital's nursing staff, who are threatening to them exposed to the virus for two days. The Dallas hospital's Chief Clinical Officer Dr Daniel Varga admits they 'made mistakes' when symptoms. He was initially sent away with statement to Congress, released Wednesday. Scroll the first time in their handling of Ebola patient apology comes in a letter written in Congress. Pictured above in Dallas on Wednesday . A deal with Ebola. 'We are determined to be an CNN they are threatening to stage a walk off for Thomas Eric Duncan and both have been with the disease, but they were two of the . protect themselves until his diagnosis was workers who were looking after America's Ebola mask . On Tuesday, the National Nurses Union revealed that several nurses from Presbyterian among other things: some supervisors told left skin partially exposed and that Duncan was not isolated for hours after being taken to the day that Ebola was confirmed - as a likely window their necks exposed below the face mask . Gloves were not tapped to protective suits, exposing wrists and hands to exposure from bodily fluids . nurses that they didn't need protective masks at Burger revealed that nurses from Texas Presbyterian Hospital have reported several workers who looked after Duncan. The union, which does not represent any of the nurses at Texas protocols. It says nurses were also forced to use treating Duncan were also caring for other patients in the hospital at the same time. Burger Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, where Thomas Health Presbyterian hospital in Dallas. Hospital was admitted to the hospital, to when he died