Ocean Medical Center Employees Test Positive For Coronavirus

BRICK, NJ – Employees at Ocean Medical Center in Brick Township have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a memo posted to the hospital parent company's website.

The recent outbreak, which has affected at least 100 employees, has been attributed to "colleagues socializing outside of work," NJ.com reported Tuesday.

According to the memo, "several of our colleagues socialized outside of work and then unknowingly exposed both other colleagues and patients to COVID-19," Asbury Park Press reported Tuesday.

"The OCHD has identified additional cases reported from OMC but it’s been a common trend in a variety of places mostly due as the result of community-based spread," said OCHD spokesman Brian Lippai in a prepared statement.

With regards to additional cases being reported from Ocean Medical Center, Lippai said individuals may be picking up the virus within the community and then spreading it at work, as opposed to internally spreading the virus.

"The public health community anticipated an increase of cases this time of year especially with the holidays," Lippai said. "That’s why the OCHD continues to urge people to wear a mask in public, maintain social distancing, follow hand hygiene and all the other safety precautions as we head right into the heart of the holiday season."

Ocean Medical Center is owned by Hackensack Meridien Health.

Patient visits have been suspended at Ocean Medical Center, according to NJ.com, with the exception of labor and delivery, end-of-life care and adult patients with special needs.

As of Monday, Ocean Medical Center had 68 COVID-19 patients and 12 patients awaiting test results.

At Governor Phil Murphy's coronavirus briefing on Monday, Communicable Disease Service Medical Director Dr. Edward Lifshitz said health officials are seeing an increase in the number of outbreaks at a number of healthcare facilities.

"We are aware and concerned that acute care hospitals are showing more cases now than they were certainly three, four months ago," Lifshitz said.

On Tuesday, the Ocean County Health Department reported 308 new positive coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of positive COVID-19 cases in the county to 22,247.

"Staff from Ocean County Health Department will continue to work through the evening to address this rapidly changing and evolving situation," Lippai said.