New federal Ebola response squads - likened to public health SWAT teams - have been prepared and are on standby to rush to any U.S. city where new Ebola cases are identified, CDC officials announced on Wednesday. The CDC Ebola Response Teams (CERTS) will consist of 10-20 people who can be sent to any hospital with a new case of Ebola is lab-confirmed, or even before confirmation, if health officials believe a person is very likely to be infected. The brief for the second set of teams - Fast Assessment and Support Teams (FAST) - is to help prepare hospitals in cities deemed most likely to see future Ebola cases. Three teams have already been sent out to New York, Chicago and Washington.
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President Obama last week announced the need for Ebola rapid response teams that he had likened to SWAT teams
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CDC has now announced the development of two different types of team
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CERTS (CDC Ebola Response Teams) will consist of 10-20 people who can be sent to any hospital with a new case
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FAST (Fast Assessment and Support Teams) will help prepare hospitals in cities deemed most likely to see new Ebola cases
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FAST teams have already been sent to New York, Chicago and Washington
'We want a rapid response team, a SWAT team essentially, from the @placeholder to be on the ground as quickly as possible, hopefully within 24 hours, so that they are taking the local hospital step by step though what needs to be done,' he said.