Brantly was due to make a statement at an 11 a.m. ET news conference. Writebol, 59, is expected to be discharged from the hospital’s isolation unit but it was not immediately clear whether she would also leave the facility.

Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, said Thursday that he had “marveled at Dr. Brantly’s courageous spirit as he has fought this horrible virus” and thanked staff at the hospital. On Friday, Brantly released a statement asking that people “continue to pray for and bring attention to those suffering in the ongoing Ebola crisis in West Africa.” More than 1,300 people have died from the disease in the region, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared the Ebola epidemic a global health emergency.