With a red nose and a big smile, a Christmas tree costume worn by a Kaiser employee in a California emergency room at Christmas was meant to spread joy.
Instead, it may have helped spread COVID-19, infecting more than 40 employees and killing one at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center.
NBC Bay Area news reporter Marianne Favro shared a fantasy image on Twitter. It shows a smiling red-nosed Christmas tree tied with red garlands and yellow balls and a star on top.
Costumes like this work through a battery-powered fan that pulls air into the suit and shapes it. Kaiser is investigating whether the suit, worn briefly by the official on December 25, may have contributed to the outbreak by spreading droplets into 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 Sr. President Irene Chávez, adding that the holiday suit was not approved in advance by Kaiser.
Chavez said 44 emergency department workers had tested positive for the virus since Dec. 27; one person died.
Kaiser does not disclose the name of the employee who died due to complications from COVID. “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.”
The emergency room is open and undergoing thorough cleaning, Chavez said. Nearly 40,000 Kaiser Permanente health professionals in northern California have already received the COVID-19 vaccines, she said.
Dr. Bob Wachter, chairman of the UCSF Department of Medicine, spoke about the tragic incident in Kaiser on KCBS radio on Monday morning. “The idea that they wanted to bring some joy is noble,” said Wachter. “It is really a sad and terrible thing. It emphasizes it continuously: you cannot tell who has COVID.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.