Coronavirus Outbreak At Newton-Wellesley Hospital

NEWTON, MA — A coronavirus outbreak at Newton-Wellesley Hospital infected nine employees and one patient, marking the latest cluster of infections in Newton.

Between Nov. 5 and Nov. 15, the hospital found nine staff members in the hospital's endoscopy unit tested positive for the virus. A patient who was exposed to an infected staff member was later found to be positive for the virus, too.

"As this patient only had a brief exposure to the COVID positive staff member and was living in the community, it is uncertain if the infection was related to the exposure," a hospital spokesperson said in a statement.

The patient has been discharged and is doing well, the spokesperson said.

"When we learned of the positive staff members and in close collaboration with DPH, we took the proactive step to temporarily close the unit for three days," the spokesperson said.

The unit was closed on Nov. 13, Nov. 16 and Nov. 17 while the hospital was cleaned and staff were tested. Patients exposed to the virus were offered free tests. The hospital is also offering free tets for employees. The unit reopened on Wednesday.

Urgent patient procedures were not interrupted, the spokesperson said.

The hospital has tightened restrictions on visitors as cases rise across the commonwealth.

Related:

Newton-Wellesley Hospital Celebrates Milestone Amid Coronavirus

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.