Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Event/Special

Connecticut Woman Dies From Anthrax

Aired November 21, 2001 - 14:24   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: We're moving quickly to a news conference. The mayor of Derby, Connecticut, where a 94-year-old woman succumbed today to anthrax.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... at 12:28 when they arrived here, where they found one police officer with a package that had been brought to the hospital, labeled as suspicious. And the police officer on the scene did present the package with people here from Griffin Hospital. And it was a sealed package. And it was sealed again by the police department.

At approximately 1:00, the package sample was sent by DEP to it's lab in Hartford for analysis. This is a low-impact case that we're talking about here. The -- we immediately deployed our crisis management team of the fire department, ambulance and medical. And the fire department immediately isolated the area of potential exposure. They closed down the heating, ventilation and air- conditioning system in the Griffin Hospital emergency room where the package was found. The Derby Fire Department has asked the hospital to identify and isolate any potential exposures.

As I said, the package was isolated and turned over to DEP immediately. We are awaiting the results that should be available, the preliminary results, which will be available this afternoon. And -- I have our chief of police, Andrew Cota, and the incident commander, First Assistant Chief Gary Parker, who is here with us along with Tom Leonard, who is in charge of our hazmat squad at the aforementioned (ph) company and also our fire marshal, Phil Hawks, and Fire Commissioner Barbara DeGennaro.

WOODRUFF: The mayor of Derby, Connecticut announcing a suspicious package there at the hospital. We'll try to get some more information on what he is talking about and bring that to you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com