An outbreak of COVID-19 spread to 30 patients last week at the PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, the health organization said Friday night.
None of the patients were admitted because of the virus, and none tested positive on admission, the Columbian reported.
In addition, six employees who cared for patients also tested positive for the virus, and PeaceHealth quarantined 86 employees because of the outbreak.
“Our Infection Prevention specialists immediately started conducting a thorough review to understand the causes of this situation and to ensure additional protection for our patients and caregivers,” said Dr. Lawrence Neville, medical director, in a press release.
“This is a highly complex exposure and we continue to analyze the situation and implement control measures to prevent future exposures.”
Clark County Public Health and PeaceHealth are notifying potentially exposed patients, the press release says.
“Unfortunately, this is a reminder that COVID remains in our community and can spread very quickly,” said Neville. “We should all remain vigilant about physical distance, wearing masks and limiting our meetings.”
PeaceHealth, a non-profit Catholic health organization, is located in Vancouver.
– The Associated Press