COVID-19 infections in Kaiser outbreak linked to costume near 100 - SF Gate

NBC Bay Area obtained an image of an air-powered, inflatable Christmas tree costume, worn briefly by an employee on Christmas, that is suspected to be the source of a COVID-19 outbreak at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Jose.

The number of people infected with COVID-19 due to a Christmas Day outbreak linked to a costume at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center's emergency room is nearing 100.

When the first infections were reported in staff at the hospital's emergency room, a hospital spokesperson told the New York Times an inflatable Christmas tree costume briefly worn by a staff member may have exacerbated the spread of the virus.

"Working with our infectious disease specialists, we are continuing to investigate the outbreak to determine the potential causes and using contact tracing to notify and test anyone exposed, based on CDC and public health guidelines," Kaiser said.