An outbreak of COVID-19 spread to 30 patients in the past week at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, according to a news release from PeaceHealth on Friday evening.
None of the patients were admitted because of the virus, and none tested positive upon admission.
Additionally, six employees who were caring for the patients also tested positive for the virus, and PeaceHealth placed 86 employees in self-quarantine because of the outbreak.
The building or buildings where the outbreak spread is not clear.
“Our Infection Prevention specialists immediately began conducting a thorough review to understand the root causes of this situation, and to ensure further protection for our patients and caregivers,” said Lawrence Neville, MD, chief medical officer, in the news release. “This is a highly complex exposure, and we are continuing to look into the situation and have put control measures in place to prevent further exposures.”
Clark County Public Health and PeaceHealth are notifying potentially exposed patients, the news release stated.
“Unfortunately, this is a reminder that COVID remains in our community and can spread very rapidly,” Neville said. “We must all remain vigilant about physical distancing, wearing masks and limiting our gatherings.”
PeaceHealth, a nonprofit Catholic health care organization, is located at 400 N.E. Mother Joseph Place, Vancouver.