Outbreak of COVID-19 in San Jose Kaiser sickens dozens
Emma Goss reports.
SAN JOSE, California. – The Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center reports on Sunday that 44 team members tested positive for COVID-19 this week, starting last Sunday, December 27, until January 1.
On Saturday, the hospital confirmed 43 positive cases of COVID-19 among emergency room workers. On Sunday, the number grew by one.
In addition, the hospital says a festive outfit that was air-powered and worn by a staff member who was briefly in the emergency department on Christmas Day may have played a role in the 44 infections.
The hospital is working to conduct contact tracking along with notifications for patients and other staff who may have been exposed,
“Our initial focus is on those who were in the Emergency Department on December 25,” said Irene Chavez, senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser San Jose, in a statement to KTVU.
A patient who entered the emergency department on December 26 and contacted more than a dozen team members during her six to eight hour visit to the hospital, told KTVU that she was not notified by the hospital of a possible exposure.
“For $ 32,000 a year for my family, my husband and I for health insurance, I can’t even get an email from them telling me what I was exposed to,” said the woman.
After leaving the hospital on December 26, the day after the day of suspected exposure, but the day before any employee tested positive for COVID-19, the woman said she was unaware of any possible exposure.
In the week since she left the hospital, she has contacted people, including a family member who took her home, a doctor, physical therapist and buyers at Costco.
She worries that other patients are still unknowingly exposing the virus to the public.
“There are people who have been exposed who have no idea, who have exposed other family members who thought they were safe in that emergency room,” she said.
All emergency departments and medical personnel are in the process of testing for COVID-19.
Chavez said the team member who showed up at the emergency department wearing the air-powered suit was just trying to spread the holiday’s joy.
“Any exposure, had it occurred, would have been completely innocent and quite accidental, since the individual had no symptoms of COVID and just sought to lift the spirits of those around him during a very stressful period.”
Chávez went on to say, “At the very least, this should serve as a very real reminder that the virus is widespread and often without symptoms, and we should all be vigilant.”
The hospital is undergoing a thorough cleaning, in addition to the normal cleaning protocols in the midst of the pandemic.
All Kaiser healthcare professionals will receive weekly tests for COVID-19 and rapid tests for anyone with symptoms or exposure to a person with COVID-19.