At least 43 staff members have tested positive since Dec. 27. A California hospital is facing a potential $43,000 fine from county health officials for alleged delays in reporting a Covid-19 super-spreader event linked to an inflatable Christmas tree costume. Hospital fined over Covid outbreak traced to inflatable Christmas costume National News Posted: Jan 15, 2021 / 03:16 AM CST / Updated: Jan 15, 2021 / 03:16 AM CST By clicking “I agree” below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. Dozens of COVID-19 cases and one death among Kaiser Permanente employees in San Jose have been linked to an inflatable costume worn by a staffer on Christmas. A rendering of coronavirus via the CDC. See our Privacy Policy and Third Party Partners to learn more about the use of data and your rights. An outbreak has killed one, infected 43 at California hospital. COVID-19 Outbreak in California Linked to Danish Strain, Inflatable Christmas Tree Incident The Daily Beast - Arya Hodjat. The strain, L452R, is separate from the more contagious variant of coronavirus first identified in Britain, and was first identified in California in May. Yahoo is part of Verizon Media. A California hospital is facing a potential $43,000 fine from county health officials for alleged delays in reporting a Covid-19 super-spreader event linked to an inflatable Christmas tree costume. Original Location: California hospital fined for COVID-19 outbreak linked to inflatable Christmas costume A coronavirus outbreak at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center may have been caused by an employee wearing an inflatable holiday costume. A California hospital employee’s decision to show up to work in an inflatable Christmas tree costume may have helped spread a strain of COVID-19 from … With a red nose and big smile, a Christmas tree costume worn by a Kaiser employee in a California emergency room on Christmas was meant to spread cheer. The costume's fan may have splayed infectious particles across the emergency department. At least 51 hospital employees at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center have tested positive for COVID-19 between December 27 to January 5. Tags: News, California, Coronavirus, Public Health, Christmas. An inflatable holiday costume is likely to blame, officials say. You also agree to our Terms of Service. KPIX 5 News at 11pm Replay 07:46 - 55H AGO SAN JOSE (CBS SF) — The number of people infected by a deadly COVID outbreak at a Kaiser hospital emergency room in San Jose linked to a staffer wearing an inflatable costume on Christmas has grown. SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) - A COVID-19 outbreak at a hospital may have been caused by a Christmas costume. A California hospital employee’s decision to show up to work in an inflatable Christmas tree costume may have helped spread a strain of COVID-19 from Denmark, The Washington Post reports. Original Author: Mica Soellner. A California hospital is facing a potential $43,000 fine from county health officials for alleged delays in reporting a Covid-19 super-spreader event linked to an inflatable Christmas tree costume. We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. This content is currently not available in your region. An air-powered holiday costume is being cited as a potential cause of a COVID-19 outbreak at a California hospital, according to local media reports. We rely on readers like you to uphold a free press. Hospitals have come under increased pressure as COVID cases continue to surge. €5 every 4 weeks or just €50 €20 for the first year, €7 every 4 weeks or just €70 €30 for the first year. Claim: An inflatable Christmas costume worn in the emergency room of a California hospital may have spread COVID-19, infecting more than 40 employees in late 2020 and early 2021. A deadly COVID-19 outbreak linked to an inflatable Christmas tree costume at a California hospital has now infected at least 92 people, including 15 patients, health officials say. Inflatable Costume May Be Behind Outbreak at California Hospital An employee at a hospital in San Jose wore an “air-powered” costume on Christmas. Inflatable Costume Likely Cause of 44 COVID Cases and 1 Death at Calif. Hospital, Officials Say. To enable Verizon Media and our partners to process your personal data select 'I agree', or select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Verizon Media websites and apps. A California hospital hit by a COVID-19 outbreak after an employee wore an inflatable holiday costume on Christmas now faces a $43,000 fine, health officials say. Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue. Inflatable costumes are typically battery-powered and use a fan to keep the costume puffed up. The outbreak occurred after an emergency room employee briefly wore an inflatable costume to work on Christmas. We and our partners will store and/or access information on your device through the use of cookies and similar technologies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. At Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center, 44 staff members tested positive for COVID-19 after an employee came into the emergency department dressed as a tree on Christmas Day. According to the Post, researchers do not yet have evidence to believe … 43 staffers at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center Emergency Department tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week and officials say an inflatable costume may be to blame. By clicking “I agree” below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. A California hospital employee’s decision to show up to work in an inflatable Christmas tree costume may have helped spread a strain of COVID-19 from Denmark, The Washington Post reports. # PatchCalifornia Kaiser San Jose fined $43,000 as investigation into Christmas costume Covid outbreak continues Could an inflatable tree really have infected at least 60 people, causing the death of one? You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. Such a fan can propel virus particles in a room. A Kaiser Permanente San Jose emergency room employee briefly donned an inflatable costume on Christmas to “lift the spirits” of fellow workers, hospital officials say. Did Inflatable Christmas Costume Give 43 Kaiser Staff COVID? Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center Shutterstock Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. See our, Read a limited number of articles each month, You consent to the use of cookies and tracking by us and third parties to provide you with personalized ads, Unlimited access to washingtonpost.com on any device, Unlimited access to all Washington Post apps, No on-site advertising or third-party ad tracking. The fine issued on last Tuesday is $1,000 for each delayed report of a positive case, but since early January the number of infections connected to the Christmas event has ballooned to 92, from an … The new European data protection law requires us to inform you of the following before you use our website: We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests.