Instead of spreading Christmas cheer, an inflatable holiday costume could have helped spread COVID-19 to dozens of employees at a California hospital, according to a report.
Forty-three employees at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center contracted the virus between December 27 and New Year’s Day, and officials say the outbreak could be linked to an employee who entered the unit wearing an “air suit” in Christmas Day, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The hospital is investigating the possibility of the ventilator on the suit spreading expired air respirations by a person infected with the virus in the emergency department.
“Any exposure, if it had occurred, would have been completely innocent and quite accidental, because the individual had no COVID symptoms and only sought to lift the spirits of those around him during the very stressful period,” said Irene Chavez, senior vice president and business manager. area told the newspaper in the center.
“In any case, this should serve as a very real reminder that the virus is widespread and often asymptomatic and that we must all be vigilant,” Chavez added.
Doctors, nurses, technicians and nurses who tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week will now isolate themselves while officials follow up on contacts and staff thoroughly clean the hospital’s emergency department, officials said.
The blast suits are now “obviously” banned from the medical unit, Chavez said.
About 40,000 Kaiser Permanente employees in California have already been inoculated against the deadly virus, but it is unclear whether any of the infected workers were among those vaccinated, according to the report.
It is also unclear what type of inflatable suit the staff wore.