SEATTLE (AP) - A hospital in Washington state has reported at least five employees and eight patients tested positive for the coronavirus, after an outbreak on a fourth floor unit of the facility.
The Auburn Medical Center said in a statement Tuesday that one patient died after the outbreak was detected late last week, The Seattle Times reported.
The MultiCare hospital system, that owns the hospital, tested all 40 patients in the unit and 212 staffers who had worked there in the two-week period before the first positive test was reported, officials said.
The hospital received results from all of the patients and 156 staffers, health officials said. It is unclear if some potentially exposed employees were awaiting testing or awaiting results.
All five of the infected employees are recovering and the infected patients are in isolation, officials said.
State health officials have reported 350 outbreaks in health care settings, including hospitals since Oct. 24, a statewide outbreak report said. An additional 706 outbreaks were counted at long-term care facilities over a similar time period.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some - especially older adults and people with existing health problems - it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
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