A coronavirus hospital officials last week affected 43 staff members during the outbreak at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose emergency department. Investigators are trying to determine if the sudden spread was caused by an employee wearing an inflatable Christmas costume in the emergency department on Dec. 25, said Irene Chavez, Kaiser’s vice president.
In a statement to CBS San Francisco, Chavez said the outbreak began on December 27.
“We determined that 43 staff members at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Emergency Department tested positive for COVID-19 between December 27 and January 1,” Chavez said. “We will ensure that every relevant staff member receives the necessary care and support. Using our infection prevention protocols, we investigate the outbreak and use contact tracing to personally notify staff or patients who have been exposed during this period and to test based on CDC and public health guidelines. “
“We are also moving fast to test all employees and doctors for emergencies for COVID-19,” she continued. “It is confirmed that employees having COVID-19 or being suspected of having COVID-19 due to symptoms will not work.”
The hospital’s emergency department also cleaned deep and the Medical Center remains open.
Officials said one of the infected staff members “briefly appeared in the emergency department on Dec. 25, wearing an air-powered suit.”
“Any exposure, if it had taken place, would have been completely innocent and quite accidental, as the individual had no COVID symptoms and was only trying to lift the minds of those around them during a very stressful time,” said the hospital. statement.
The outbreak comes as Santa Clara County hospitals are pushed to the brink by a surge in COVID-19 cases. On Saturday, health officials in the province reported that there were 1,784 new positive cases with 37 deaths and 108 hospitalizations. The province had an average of 7 days each day of nearly 1000 positive test results.
As of Saturday, there were only 10 ICU beds available in the country with more than 2 million inhabitants.