Kaiser hospital officials announced on Saturday that 43 members of the Kaiser Permanente emergency team in San Jose tested positive for COVID-19 last week, and on Sunday it was announced that an additional case was reported and one person died.
According to the statement released by Kaiser on Sunday, an employee who worked in the emergency room on Christmas Day died of complications from COVID-19.
Kaiser officials confirmed that the woman who died was a clerk in the emergency room. Her co-workers described her as an “absolutely wonderful woman”.
The hospital is investigating whether an incident in which a staff member briefly appeared in the emergency department on Christmas Day wearing an air-powered costume with a fan may have caused air droplets to spread through the hospital.
“Using our proven infection protocols, we are investigating the outbreak and using contact tracking to personally notify and test any staff or patients who have been exposed during this time based on the CDC and public health guidelines,” said a spokesman. voice in a statement.
The hospital says it will no longer allow air-powered fantasies in any facilities.
Kaiser said the fantasy employee had no symptoms at the moment and was just trying to lift her spirits during a stressful period. But an emergency room worker who asked not to be named said there may be another reason for the outbreak.
“They were doing respiratory treatments in a room that they shouldn’t have,” said the official.
The hospital said the emergency room is undergoing a thorough cleaning, and officials said the hospital is open and safe for patients to receive care.
But the official said that Kaiser’s claim that they were doing a thorough cleaning in the department after the outbreak was not true.
“This is a lie,” said the official. “All they did was go in and do a thorough cleaning in the small break room. They did not do the other parts of the emergency department and there was no thorough cleaning. “
The hospital is working to quickly test all emergency department workers and doctors for the virus, and anyone who has a positive result or symptoms will be quarantined according to the Centers for Disease Control guidelines, hospital officials said.
However, several health professionals have told the NBC Bay Area that they do not think the hospital is doing enough to protect them. Some team members said that regular testing was not being done.
An outbreak of COVID-19 at a Kaiser Hospital in San Jose is being investigated after 43 emergency room workers were infected with the coronavirus. Marianne Favro, from the NCB Bay area, spoke with an official who said that several factors may have contributed to the spread and said the hospital is not handling the outbreak as it should.
“Even when the vaccine is starting to be delivered in our communities, given the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community, we are all still vulnerable and it remains critical that everyone continues to use the methods to help protect ourselves and others – especially masks, washing hands, avoiding meetings and social distance, ”said the statement.
Kaiser said that some of the infected health workers received their first dose of the COVID vaccine, but they were not expected to achieve immunity when the exposure occurred.
The hospital responded to comments made by officials that it was not taking adequate security measures against the virus, saying it was following the CDC protocol and testing all employees in the emergency department.
The hospital said that deep cleaning is underway and that patients who may have been exposed are being contacted by phone.
On Sunday, the Santa Clara County Health Department issued a statement about the outbreak.
“The Department of Public Health is aware of and is currently investigating a significant outbreak of COVID-19 associated with the Kaiser San Jose Emergency Department,” says the statement. “Kaiser is responsible for complying with all public health orders and safety regulations. applicable labor law, including those issued by Cal / OSHA. This includes timely notification of cases and all necessary follow-up. “