South Bay Kaiser Coronavirus Outbreak Swells To 60: Report

SAN JOSE, CA — A coronavirus outbreak at a South Bay hospital likely caused by a staffer dressing up in an "air-powered" Christmas costume swelled to 60 cases including at least one fatality, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The staffer by all accounts dressed as a red-nosed Christmas tree at Kaiser Permanente's Medical Center's emergency department on Christmas Day with the intention of bringing holiday cheer to the facility. The hospital initially reported 44 cases according to the report.

Santa Clara County officials are also investigating whether the new coronavirus variant first discovered in the U.K. played a role in the outbreak according to the report.

The new variant identified by scientists as B.1.1.7 is reportedly 70 percent more transmissible than the strain currently dominant in the U.S. but is not believed to be more virulent.

The outbreak has vexed medical experts who note staff members in the ER were wearing masks as required, The Mercury News reports.

“This is a stark reminder that COVID-19 can be so easily transmitted through the air and that even letting your guard down for a moment can have consequences,” Santa Clara County’s Public Health Department said in a statement Tuesday addressing the Kaiser outbreak.

The costume believed to be the cause of this superspreader event closely resembles this item currently sold on Amazon.

“She was just spreading joy,” a nurse who worked in the ER that day told The Mercury News.

Experts believe the costume fan may have circulated droplets containing the coronavirus throughout the department.

A spokeswoman described the circumstances surrounding the outbreak as "highly unusual" in a statement to The Washington Post.

"Obviously this is a highly unusual situation involving a well-intentioned staff member acting on their own without advance notice or approval," said Irene Chavez, the hospital's senior vice president and area manager.

"Any exposure, if it occurred, would have been completely innocent, and quite accidental, as the individual had no covid symptoms."

The outbreak comes amid a COVID-19 case explosion in Santa Clara County and throughout the nation that is expected to get worse after millions of Americans flouted admonitions from health experts by congregating with those outside their immediate households over the holidays, Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN.

"We very well might see a post-seasonal — in the sense of Christmas, New Year's — surge, and as I've described it, as a surge upon a surge," America's leading infectious disease expert told the cable news channel.

The mutant strain has public health experts concerned that the new surge could have catastrophic implications.

The Bay Area region has been under stay-at-home orders Dec. 17 when its ICU capacity fell below 15 percent. The Bay Area's capacity as of Tuesday was 5.9 percent according to the state's COVID-19 website.

Los Angeles County, currently the nation's the coronavirus epicenter, is part of a Southern California region reporting 0 percent capacity. The San Joaquin Valley region has 0 percent capacity too.

A South Bay hospital reported maxing out its capacity last week and sending patients to surge beds.

Read more in The San Francisco Chronicle