Kaiser hospital officials announced on Saturday that 43 members of the Kaiser Permanente emergency team in San Jose tested positive for COVID-19 between December 27 and January 1.
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.
“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.
However, several health professionals have told the NBC Bay Area that they do not think the hospital is doing enough to protect them.