A COVID-19 outbreak at a Costco in Washington state resulted in 145 employees becoming infected.
The Yakima Health District said in a statement On Wednesday, there was evidence that the sharp increase mimics the type of activity that occurs after a “superspreader” event where several people are infected simultaneously.
All the individuals who tested positive completed their isolation or quarantine periods, the health district said. The District recommended that the store continue testing the site for their employees to monitor the outbreak ahead.
Melissa Sixberry, director of Disease Control, said in a statement that they expect the number of cases to increase over the next few days as on-site testing continues.
According to Costco, there are 383 people employed KOMO News. Late last week, officials said 68 employees tested positive.
The outbreak is due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in Yakima County. Interim health official Larry Jecha said in a statement that “COVID-19 levels are still rising throughout the province.”
“We are seeing record high hospitalizations this week and we need your help to stop the spread,” Jecha said. ‘Remember, masks alone are not an effective intervention. These are masks, coupled with social distance and regular hand washing, and most importantly, staying home when you are sick will help us stop the spread of COVID-19. ”
There have been 19,281 coronavirus infections in the country since the pandemic began and 314 deaths, according to a census of the Health District.