A cluster of 27 staff members at the Ohio State East Hospital have tested positive for COVID-19. Credit: Courtesy of the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.
A COVID-19 outbreak has hit Ohio State East Hospital, with 27 staff members within a patient care unit testing positive for COVID-19, according to a Wednesday Wexner Medical Center press release.
The staff, accounting for about 2 percent of the hospital’s 1,200 employees, worked in the unit between Dec. 20 and Jan. 1, according to the release. In that time, six patients in the unit tested positive after initially testing negative upon admission into the hospital located on Taylor Avenue east of downtown.
“We take this incident very seriously. We are conducting contact tracing and testing all staff and patients who spent significant time on the unit during that time frame,” Dr. Andrew Thomas, chief clinical officer at the Wexner Medical Center, said.
An initial review by the medical center found the COVID-19 cluster began when a staff member came into work with symptoms of the virus, according to the release. The cluster appears to be confined to the single unit based on the information available at this time.
“We are reviewing all infection control measures with our staff and, as always, strongly encourage vigilance in wearing masks, hand hygiene, physical distancing, monitoring for any symptoms of COVID-19 and not reporting to work when they have symptoms, no matter how mild they may seem,” Thomas said.
The medical center’s epidemiology and clinical leadership teams have steps, such as asymptomatic testing and reinforcing cleaning protocols, to prevent the further spread of the virus at the facility, according to the release. The medical center is conducting a review of its protocols to determine if any changes are needed to prevent future outbreaks.
