Officials at Kaiser Hospital announced on Saturday that 43 emergency personnel from Kaiser Permanente San Jose tested positive for COVID-19 between December 27 and January 1.
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The hospital is investigating whether an incident in which a staff member briefly appeared in the emergency room on Christmas Day in an inflatable ventilator costume could have caused air droplets to spread throughout the hospital.
“Using our proven infection protocols, we are investigating the outbreak and using contact tracing to educate staff and assess any staff or patients who have been exposed during this time, as per CDC and public health guidelines. “, did he declare. a spokesperson in a statement.
The hospital says it will no longer allow aerial disguises at any facility.
Kaiser said the employee wearing the suit was showing no symptoms at the time and was only trying to cheer up during a stressful time.
But an emergency room worker who asked not to be named said there could be another reason for the outbreak. “They were doing respiratory treatments in a room that they weren’t supposed to be doing,” the employee said.
The hospital said the emergency department was undergoing a deep clean and officials said the hospital was open and safe for patients to receive care.
But the employee said Kaiser’s claim that they were doing a deep cleaning of the apartment after the outbreak was not true.
“That’s a lie,” said the clerk. “All they did was come in and do a deep clean in the little break room. They didn’t do the other parts of the emergency department and there was no deep cleaning. “
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The hospital is working to quickly screen all emergency department workers and doctors for the virus, and anyone who tests positive or shows symptoms will be quarantined according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, have officials said. of the hospital.
“Even as the vaccine begins to be administered in our communities, given the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community, we are all still vulnerable and it is still essential that everyone continues to use the methods to protect ourselves and others. , especially masks, wash hands, avoid meetings and social distancing, ”the statement said.
Kaiser said some of the infected healthcare workers received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, but are not expected to get immunity when the exposure occurred.
However, several healthcare workers told NBC Bay Area that they didn’t think the hospital was doing enough to protect them.
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