An inflatable Christmas tree costume could have been the cause of a Covid outbreak at a California hospital.
At least 44 people, including one who died, have been infected after a blowup Christmas tree powered by a fan, worn by an employee who unknowingly had Covid-19, could have help spread droplets around the building, infecting staff and patients.
The costume was worn by a staff member at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center south of San Francisco in the California Bay Area.
The infected staff member wearing the air-powered costume appeared “briefly in the emergency department on December 25," the hospital said in a statement reported by local TV-station KPIX.
“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,” the hospital said.
The hospital started investigating the cause of the outbreak after 44 people tested positive for Covid-19 in less than a week between December 27 and January 1, The New York Times reported.
It’s not clear whether anyone was infected by the specific encounter with the person in the air-powered costume, but outfits of that kind have now been banned in the hospital.
Dr Peter Chin-Hong, professor of medicine and infectious disease expert at the University of California San Francisco, told The San Francisco Chronicle, that it’s “certainly plausible” that the airflow from the costume helped spread the virus in the emergency room. The person wearing the costume wouldn’t necessarily be the spreader, but the added movement of air could have been the cause.
“They’re just acting as the mover of air in a huge way. It’s like a fan that’s kind of multidirectional and random," he said.
Hospital spokesperson Irene Chavez said, “This should serve as a very real reminder that the virus is widespread, and often without symptoms, and we must all be vigilant,” KTVU reported.
