Six nurses tested positive for COVID-19 after Syracuse, N.Y.-based St. Joseph's Hospital adjusted infection control procedures, nurses at the hospital who wish to remain anonymous told CNYCentral.
The nurses said even though they've treated COVID-19 patients since March, nurses didn't start getting sick until after the new procedures began at the end of April. The new regulations allowed nurses to wear surgical masks instead of N95 masks. The hospital also removed its negative pressure unit from the COVID-19 unit, the nurses told CNYCentral.
Nurses said many employees from the COVID-19 unit are still waiting to get test results back.
Hospital leaders said most staff who contracted the virus did so in the community, not at the hospital, according to CNYCentral.
St. Joseph's told CNYCentral it will reinstitute the negative pressure airflow in the COVID-19 unit.
"Safety is a core value at St. Joseph’s Health and we are deeply committed to following CDC guidelines for providing the appropriate level of personal protective equipment for all of our colleagues," Joseph Spinale, DO, CMO of St. Joseph's Health, said in a statement to Becker's. "Multiple resources regarding appropriate PPE use are available to our colleagues, including ongoing individual education. We continue to work daily with suppliers worldwide and with government agencies to secure additional PPE as we navigate a global supply challenge. To be good stewards of our resources, we are employing well-established conservation strategies consistent with the CDC guidelines."