ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Gov. Brian Kemp projected confidence in Georgia’s health institutions on Monday, saying the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and nearby Emory University Hospital are capable of taking the emerging hantavirus head-on.

Emory University Hospital on Monday took on two patients, one experiencing symptoms and another who spent time in close proximity to the symptomatic patient.

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Hantavirus is a rare but potentially deadly disease.

“We’re as prepared as any state in the country to do this, and it’s just the right thing to do,” said Kemp during a press conference at the State Capitol. “We’re doing like we’ve done in the past.”

Kemp pointed to the CDC’s handling of COVID-19 and the two cases of Ebola the agency took on in 2014. The CDC and Emory University Hospital are world leaders in virus study and infectious disease prevention.

“There is nobody better to handle that than the folks at Emory,” said Kemp. “If you think about how they dealt with the folks that had Ebola, that had been transported back here. And we’re going to do the right thing. We’re going to help get these people back, and get them in the right environment that doesn’t put our fellow Georgians in jeopardy.”

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Federal officials echoed Kemp’s confidence. At the White House on Monday, President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said they were certain the nation’s health agencies could keep the sickness contained.

“They acted very, very quickly,” said Trump.

“We’ve had CDC teams on it from Day One,” added Kennedy. “We have this under control and we’re not worried about it.”

The CDC uses a 1-3 scale to rank their response to outbreaks that pose potential danger to the public, with a 1 being the highest threat level. Right now, hantavirus is at a 3, meaning the CDC will enable its typical response and possibly utilize some members of their Emergency Operations Team, but the threat to the public remains low.

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