The number of people infected with COVID-19 due to an outbreak on Christmas Day related to a fantasy in the emergency room at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center is almost 100.
Kaiser said on Wednesday that 74 employees who were working on December 25 and 15 patients “related to December 25” had positive results. An employee who worked in the ER on December 25 died of complications from COVID-19.
“Out of respect for patient and family privacy, we have no additional information to provide,” said Kaiser in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people affected by this terrible loss. We are providing support to our employees during this difficult time.”
When the first infections were reported on the hospital’s emergency room staff, a hospital spokesman told the New York Times that an inflatable Christmas tree costume worn by a staff member may have aggravated the spread of the virus.
Costumes like this work through a battery-powered fan that pulls air into the suit and shapes it. The suit may have spread drops in the air.
“Any exposure, if 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,” said Kaiser San Jose Senior Vice President Irene Chavez told the Associated Press in early January.
Kaiser said on Wednesday that the incident is still under investigation. “Working with our infectious disease specialists, we continue to investigate the outbreak to determine potential causes and using contact tracking to notify and test anyone exposed, based on the CDC and public health guidelines,” said Kaiser. “Given the prevalence of COVID-19 in our communities, it is often difficult to identify the specific exposure that leads to COVID-19 infection.”