---
title: "CA Hospital Accidentally Releases Patient With Deadly Virus"
description: "A San Diego hospital accidentally released a patient carrying the deadly coronavirus that's caused a global outbreak this month."
date: "2020-02-11"
modified: "2020-02-11"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/ca-hospital-releases-patient-with-china-deadly-coronavirus"
categories:
  - "Developments"
  - "Health & Medicine"
tags:
  - "china"
  - "coronavirus"
  - "virus"
---

# CA Hospital Accidentally Releases Patient With Deadly Virus

![A San Diego hospital accidentally released a patient carrying the deadly coronavirus that's caused a global outbreak this month.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ca-hospital-accidentally-releases-patient-with-deadly-virus.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Image via Pexels/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

A San Diego hospital accidentally released a patient infected with the deadly virus that's currently sweeping the globe, [*CNN* reports](<https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/10/health/evacuee-wuhan-coronavirus-mistakenly-released/index.html>).

The patient, who was promptly readmitted after authorities realized the mistake, was the first American to have been evacuated from the epicenter city of Wuhan, in China, because of the 2019-nCoV virus.

"The confirmed positive patient was returned to UC San Diego Health for observation and isolation until cleared by the CDC for release," reads a statement by the hospital.

Before being unexpectedly released, the patient was being held in an isolation unit.

The patient had traveled from Wuhan to a Marine Corps Air Station just outside of San Diego on a state chartered flight last week, according to the hospital. The patient was the 13th confirmed case of the virus in the US, according to *CNN*.

The blunder couldn't have come at a worse time. Yesterday, World Health Organization officials [warned](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/who-leader-warns-worldwide-coronavirus-outbreaks>) that the deadly virus could be poised for worldwide localized outbreaks.

At press time, more than 1,000 people have died from the virus — with more than 43,000 confirmed cases across the globe, according to [John Hopkins’ coronavirus dashboard](<https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6>).

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)