SAN JOSE – The coronavirus outbreak in the Kaiser Permanent San Jose Medical Center after a well-meaning staff member jumped through the Emergency Department in an air-powered tree suit on Christmas Day, increased to 60 cases on Tuesday, according to Kaiser.
That’s more than 16 of the 44 infected employees Kaiser originally reported over the weekend, including the death of a hospital reception clerk. In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Kaiser said all 60 cases involve employees who were in the ER on Christmas Day. In addition, doctors have contacted 70 patients who were treated and discharged from the ER during the holidays, and Covid tests are being made available to them.
The outbreak has attracted international attention and is still confusing. Not only did staff members wear masks in the ER as needed, but the first doses of vaccinations were given to some Kaiser employees about five days before the outbreak. However, the effectiveness of vaccines does not begin, according to experts, until about ten days later and even then about 50 percent.
A nurse told the Bay Area News Group this week that the staff member’s appearance in the costume “just spread joy” when she bounced through the ER area for about 10 or 15 minutes on Christmas morning. She also questioned how staff members who had not started their shifts until that afternoon and had no contact with the woman in the costume still tested positive.
Although many questions remained unanswered on Tuesday, the health department said the incident is a “strong reminder that Covid-19 can be transmitted so easily through the air and that it can even have consequences if you take a moment in the air. stitch late.
The department also noted that ‘Kaiser is responsible for compliance with all applicable public health orders and occupational safety regulations, including those of Cal / OSHA. This includes timely reporting of cases and all required follow-up. ”
Kaiser is also investigating the outbreak to ‘determine possible causes’. It says, “Given the prevalence of COVID-19 in our communities, it is often difficult to pinpoint the specific exposure that leads to COVID-19 infection.” In a statement over the weekend, Kaiser suggested that the outbreak may have been linked to the air-driven costume worn by a well-meaning staff member.
The hospital said it adds weekly tests for staff and meets the country’s guidelines for testing throughout the pandemic. In a statement Tuesday, Kaiser said the Emergency Department, in addition to HEPA filtering of its ventilation systems, has also undergone deep cleaning and intensive disinfection.
“A staff member briefly appeared in the emergency department on December 25, wearing an air-powered costume,” Kaiser said in a weekend statement. “If it did, any exposure would have been completely innocent and accidental, as the individual had no COVID symptoms and was only trying to lift the spirits of those around them during a very stressful time.”