An outbreak of COVID-19 spread to 30 patients last week at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, according to a PeaceHealth press release late on Friday.
None of the patients was hospitalized because of the virus and none of them tested positive on admission.
In addition, six employees who cared for patients also tested positive for the virus, and PeaceHealth quarantined 86 employees because of the outbreak.
The building or buildings where the outbreak has spread is unclear.
“Our Infection Prevention specialists immediately started conducting a thorough review to understand the root causes of this situation and to ensure additional protection for our patients and caregivers,” said Lawrence Neville, MD, medical director, in the 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 at 400 NE Mother Joseph Place, Vancouver.