California hospital fined more than $ 40,000 after Santa Clara County says it delays notification of Covid-19 outbreak

by



[ad_1]

Santa Clara County said it issued a notice of violation to Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center on January 5 “due to Kaiser’s failure to timely report 43 cases involving staff who tested positive between December 2020 and January 1, 2021 “. That number has since grown, according to CNN affiliate KGO.

As of Monday, a total of 92 cases of the virus have been linked to the outbreak, according to health officials. This includes 77 staff and 15 patients.

“Kaiser is responsible for complying with all applicable public health orders and workplace safety regulations, including the timely reporting of cases and all necessary follow-ups,” the county said in an email to CNN.

The root cause of the outbreak continues to be investigated by the public health department, officials said.

In a statement to KGO, Irene Chavez, senior vice president and area manager at Kaiser Permanente San Jose, said the outbreak “could” have been linked to an employee who briefly wore an “air suit” in the emergency room. at Christmas.

“Any exposure, if it had occurred, would have been completely innocent and completely accidental,” Chavez said. “As the individual had no symptoms of COVID and was only looking to boost the morale of those around him during a very stressful time.”

Inflatable suits will no longer be allowed at the facility, Chavez added.

A public health order issued on October 5, 2020 requires the hospital to report any confirmed positive case of Covid-19 by staff who were in the workplace to the public health department within four hours.

The fine for each violation is $ 1,000.

“Kaiser Permanente did not report any of these cases in the county’s job site contact and case reporting portal, as it is required to do by the Oct. 5 public health order,” the county said. in its press release. “Kaiser also submitted a social distancing protocol to the county on October 19, certifying that he would comply with all reporting requirements.

The county said it was not aware of the positive cases until they were confirmed in a press release released by Kaiser Permanente on January 3.

In a statement to CNN, Kaiser Permanente spokeswoman Hilary Costa said her communications with state and local agencies about cases of Covid-19 at her facilities were consistent.

“The suggestion that we don’t agree with our reports is incorrect,” Costa said in the statement.

The hospital is reviewing the Santa Clara County citation and plans to respond by the county’s Jan.15 deadline, according to Costa.

The health department continues to investigate the cause of the outbreak. It was determined that the outbreak was not the new variant of COVID-19 first identified in the UK.

CNN’s Kay Jones and Jessica Flynn contributed to this report.

[ad_2]

Source link