California hospital fined over COVID-19 outbreak linked to inflatable Christmas costume

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California hospital may be fined $ 43,000 from county health officials for potentially instigating a COVID-19 super-spreading event that has been attributed to a Christmas tree costume inflatable.

Health officials from the Santa Clara County Public Health Department said they had counted 77 staff members and 15 patient cases and the death of a staff member linked to the event at the San Jose Medical Center.

Health officials say they were not aware of the first 43 cases until the information was released this week. San Jose was fined $ 1,000 last week for every delayed report of a positive coronavirus case, but cases since early January related to the holiday event have risen from 43 to more than 90.

“Kaiser Permanente did not report any of these cases in the county’s site contact and case reporting portal, as required by the Oct. 5 public health order,” the department said. County Health Department in a statement.

Health giant Kaiser Permanente has denied any delay in reporting the cases.

“The suggestion that we do not agree with our reporting is incorrect,” Kaiser Permanente said in a statement to NBC News, adding that he had “maintained consistent communications with several state and local agencies regarding cases of COVID-19 in our facilities. “

Kaiser Permanente added that the Christmas tree costume was meant to be an innocent gesture that “only sought to cheer up those around them during a very stressful time.”

The healthcare company is reviewing the Santa Clara County citation and aims to respond by Friday’s deadline.

California has approached nearly 3 million cases of the coronavirus and more than 30,000 deaths have been attributed to it.

Keywords: News, California, Coronavirus, Public Health, Christmas

Original author: Little Soellner

Original location: California hospital fined over COVID-19 outbreak linked to inflatable Christmas costume