White House Cites ‘Shortcomings’ in Ebola Care

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is conceding that there were “shortcomings” in the handling of an Ebola patient’s treatment in Texas that ended up with two health care workers testing positive for the disease.

Signaling new urgency on the issue, President Barack Obama today canceled his political travel to meet with his Cabinet on the Ebola outbreak and the new developments in Texas.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest noted that the head of the Centers for Disease Control had declared that even one health care worker being exposed was unacceptable. So with two workers now testing positive, Earnest says, “that is an indication that there were shortcomings.” He told reporters, “It’s not clear what protocols were in place and how those protocols were implemented.”

Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio is calling on Obama to appoint a single administration official to coordinate the U.S. Ebola strategy.