A hospital in California is facing a coronavirus outbreak that killed one employee and infected dozens of staff members — a wave that might have stemmed from an inflatable costume worn on Christmas to cheer up patients.
One employee, whom the hospital has not publicly identified to respect the family’s privacy, died due to Covid-19 complications, the hospital said in an email Monday. No other details were immediately available.
At least 44 staff members tested positive for the virus between Dec. 27 and New Year’s Day, according to a statement from Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center on Saturday. The hospital’s emergency department has been deep-cleaned, and all infected staff members are isolating.
The hospital is looking into whether the fan on an “air-powered costume” could have spread droplets after a staff member briefly wore it in the emergency department on Christmas Day.
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