Costco COVID outbreak of superspreader: at least 145 workers in a megastore in Washington contract the virus and health officials warn that even more could be infected
- At least 145 employees at Union Gap, Washington Costco, tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Tuesday
- The store, which has 383 employees, will remain open despite the outbreak
- Officials say they do not know the cause of the outbreak, but the growth “mimics the type of activity that happens after a kind of spreading event.”
- Officials say the number of infections has risen rapidly from 68 on Thursday to 145 by Monday and say more cases are likely to occur.
At least 145 employees at a Costco store in Washington state have contracted COVID-19 in a massive outbreak that officials say is similar to a “spread event.”
Infections at the Union Gap location, which employs 383 people, were first reported on Tuesday after testing at the store level.
Yakima County health officials said the increase in the number of cases “mimics the type of activity that happens after a kind of over-spreading event in which several people are infected at the same time.
Now officials are trying to figure out how the outbreak began.
An outbreak of COVID-19 at a Costco store in Washington has caused at least 145 employees to contract the virus, and the sudden rise in infections is similar to a “spread event,” officials said Tuesday. A view of Union Gap, Washington Costco, where the above unleashing took place
The Union Gap location has 383 employees and will remain open with coronavirus prevention measures. Costco is one of the stores that is busy with shoppers throughout the pandemic because it sells food and basic essentials. A view of buyers at a Costco in Vermont in August, above
Officials say the number of infections has risen rapidly from 68 on Thursday to 145 by Monday and say more cases could occur.
“As Costco continues its on-site testing, we anticipate that the number of cases will continue to grow over the next few days as results are received,” said Melissa Sixberry, director of disease control in Yakima County. KOMO News.
The store is allowed to remain open despite the outbreak and all 145 workers who tested positive are isolated.
However, officials say the outbreak is not an isolated incident, but reflects an increase in cases at the state level.
“The activity levels of COVID-19 continue to increase throughout the county. We need the help of the community to comply with the safety recommendations COVID-19, so that we can keep jobs safe, so that we can keep schools safe, so that we can keep each other safe by the fact that we are not overwhelming our health care system, “said Dr. Larry Jecha, interim health officer for Yakima County.
On Tuesday, Yakima County recorded a total of 19,281 cases of coronavirus and 314 deaths.
Nationwide, there have been more than 19 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 342,000 reported deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.