SAN JOSE – The coronavirus outbreak at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center after a well-meaning member passed through the Emergency Department in an air-powered tree costume on Christmas day increased to 51 cases on Tuesday, according to the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health.
This represents an increase from seven of the 44 infected employees originally reported by Kaiser over the weekend, which included the death of an employee at the hospital reception. It is not clear whether all new cases are also members of the Kaiser team.
The outbreak has attracted international attention and continues to cause perplexity. Not only did employees wear masks in the emergency room as required, but the first doses of the vaccine were administered to some Kaiser employees about five days before the outbreak. However, the vaccines’ effectiveness does not come into play, experts say, until about 10 days later and even then it would be about 50 percent.
A nurse told the Bay Area News Group this week that the employee’s appearance in the suit was “just spreading joy” when she jumped through the emergency room for about 10 or 15 minutes on Christmas morning. She also questioned how team members who didn’t start their shifts until that afternoon and had no contact with the woman in the suit had yet tested positive.
Although many questions were left unanswered on Tuesday, the health department said the incident was “a strong reminder that Covid-19 can easily be transmitted over the air and that even letting your guard down for a moment can have consequences” .
The department also noted that “Kaiser is responsible for complying with all applicable public health orders and work safety regulations, including those with Cal / OSHA. This includes timely notification of cases and all necessary follow-up. “
Kaiser is also investigating the outbreak and said he is tracking contact between patients and staff.
“A staff member appeared briefly in the emergency department on December 25 wearing an air-powered costume,” said Kaiser in a statement over the weekend. “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.”