Kitsap County Public Health District officials have committed to testing 2,500 employees at St. Michael Medical Center in Bremerton, Wash., after a COVID-19 outbreak at the facility grew to at least 45 patient and staff cases, they confirmed to Becker's Hospital Review.
The district declared an outbreak at the hospital Aug. 14 after a hospital employee tested positive for COVID-19 and other cases were linked to it. By Aug. 24, the health district reported that the outbreak had been linked to confirmed cases of at least 30 staff members and 15 patients, and it expected the count to increase.
On Aug. 26, the district confirmed steps being taken to control the outbreak, including the promise to test all St. Michael employees. The district said more than 850 tests had been administered to St. Michael employees — and testing is expected to continue this week, according to The Seattle Times.
The district will develop an "incident command structure" to respond to the outbreak, The Seattle Times reported, and receive guidance for the hospital from the district and an infection control expert from the state's health department.
Tacoma, Wash.-based CHI Franciscan said Aug. 27 it is also temporarily limiting procedures to only urgent and emergent cases at St. Michael and at its Silverdale campus.
Read the full report here.
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