SAN JOSE — The coronavirus outbreak at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center after a well-meaning staff member pranced through the Emergency Department in an air-powered tree costume on Christmas Day swelled to 60 cases Tuesday, according to Kaiser.
That’s up 16 from the 44 infected employees originally reported by Kaiser over the weekend, which included the death of a hospital reception clerk. In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Kaiser said all 60 cases involved employees who were in the ER on Christmas Day. In addition, doctors have contacted 70 patients who were treated and discharged from the ER on the holiday and Covid tests are being “made available” to them.
The outbreak has drawn international attention and remains perplexing. Not only were staff members wearing masks in the ER, as required, but the first doses of vaccinations had been administered to some Kaiser employees roughly five days or so before the outbreak. However, the effectiveness of vaccines doesn’t kick in, experts say, until about 10 days later and even then would be about 50 percent.
A nurse told the Bay Area News Group this week that the staff member’s appearance in the costume was “just spreading joy” when she bounced through the ER area for about 10 or 15 minutes on Christmas morning. She also questioned how staff members who didn’t start their shifts until that afternoon and had no contact with the woman in the costume still tested positive.
Although many questions remained unanswered on Tuesday, the health department said that the incident is “a stark reminder that Covid-19 can be so easily transmitted through 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 reporting of cases and all required follow-up.”
Kaiser is also investigating the outbreak to “determine potential causes.” It said, “Given the prevalence of COVID-19 in our communities, it is often difficult to pinpoint the specific exposure leading to COVID-19 infection.” In a statement over the weekend, Kaiser suggested that the outbreak may have been tied to the air-powered costume worn by a well-intentioned staff member.
The hospital has said it is adding weekly testing for staff and has been adhering to county guidelines for testing throughout the pandemic. In its statement Tuesday, Kaiser said that in addition to HEPA filtering of its ventilation systems, the Emergency Department has undergone deep cleaning and intensive disinfecting.
“A staff member did appear briefly in the emergency department on Dec. 25 wearing an air-powered costume,” Kaiser said in a weekend statement. “Any exposure, if it occurred, would have been completely innocent, and quite accidental, as the individual had no COVID symptoms and only sought to lift the spirits of those around them during what is a very stressful time.”