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At least 44 people, including one who died, became infected after a blown Christmas tree powered by a fan, used by an employee who unknowingly had Covid-19, could have helped spread droplets around the building, infecting staff. and to patients.
The costume was worn by a staff member at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center south of San Francisco in the California Bay Area.
The infected staff member wearing the airsuit appeared “briefly in the emergency department on December 25,” the hospital said in a statement reported by local television station KPIX.
“Any exposure, if it had occurred, would have been completely innocent and quite accidental as the individual had no COVID symptoms and was only looking to lift the spirits of those around him during a very stressful time,” the hospital said.
The hospital began investigating the cause of the outbreak after 44 people tested positive for Covid-19 in less than a week between December 27 and January 1. The New York Times reported.
It is unclear if someone was infected by the specific encounter with the person in the air suit, but suits of that type have now been banned from the hospital.
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, professor of medicine and infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco, said The San Francisco Chronicle, which is “certainly plausible” that the airflow from the costume helped spread the virus in the emergency room. The person wearing the costume would not necessarily be the spreader, but the extra air movement could have been the cause.
“They are just acting like air engines in a huge way. It’s like a fan that’s multi-directional and random, “he said.
Hospital spokeswoman Irene Chávez said: “This should serve as a very real reminder that the virus is widespread and often without symptoms, and we all need to be vigilant,” KTVU reported.
