Outbreak At CA Hospital Possibly Caused By Inflatable Costume

SAN JOSE, CA — At least 43 department staff members at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center tested positive for coronavirus over the last week, a senior official said Saturday. And the outbreak might be linked to an inflatable costume worn on Christmas intended to bring holiday cheer to patients.

Senior Vice President Irene Chavez said in a statement that the medical center was using contact tracing and will personally notify and test any staff member or patient who was potentially exposed between Dec. 27 and New Year's Day.

"Any exposure, if it occurred, would have been completely innocent, and quite accidental, as the individual had no COVID symptoms and only sought to lift the spirits of those around them during what is a very stressful time," hospital officials told several news outlets in a statement.

The costume in question was apparently "air-powered" by a fan, and hospital officials were investigating whether it could have spread droplets in the emergency department where it was worn, NBC News reported.

Hospital officials assured that inflatable costumes will no longer be allowed inside the hospital.

Employees who tested positive will not return to work as well as those who were in contact with the colleague who tested positive, Chavez said in a statement.

The Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center remains open with its emergency department deep-cleaned.

Golden State hospitals have become overrun by coronavirus cases over the holiday season, adding a flush of sick patients in with the usual causes for emergency room visits.

On Sunday, the state reported an uptick in intensive care unit bed availability for the Bay Area as capacity increased to 8.4 percent. California had a 14.5 percent positivity rate statewide on Sunday.

The state has reported 2,391,261 cases since the start of the pandemic and a death toll of 26,538. There were 181 deaths and 45,352 new coronavirus cases reported Sunday.

Four of the California's five designated regions remain suspended within the Gov. Gavin Newsom's Regional Stay-At-Home order until region ICU capacity has met or surpasses the 15 percent threshold. So far, Northern California has been the only region to keep its capacity higher than 15 percent.

The order was extended for Southern California and San Joaquin Valley and could be extended for the Bay Area as well this week.

The state is in the midst of a staggered rollout of the coronavirus vaccines, and reaching hospital workers at a slower pace than many would prefer. An analysis from Bloomberg News found that just 24.3 percent of its available coronavirus vaccines had been administered.

While the arrival of the vaccine has shed some hope on finally ending the coronavirus pandemic, it will do little to stop the holiday-fueled case surge.

Bay City News contributed to this report.

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