COVID-19 positive person sparks outbreak at work, 7 killed and 300 quarantined

In a COVID super-spreader event, a person with asymptomatic coronavirus who went to work caused two outbreaks in southern Oregon, US, that caused seven deaths and led to the quarantine of 300 people. The individual later tested positive for COVID-19, Douglas County officials informed in a government release. However, the health ministry did not disclose the name of the organization where the cluster outbreak occurred. Fears of subsequent outbreaks are looming large as officials are rigorously testing and tracing the contacts and have ordered the employees of the company to restrict movement. The deaths from the event account for 20 percent of the county’s total COVID death toll. 

Cautioning about the “superspreader actions” to prevent any more of such outbreaks, Douglas County said that such events were “very dangerous” wherein only one single infection can spur a large local outbreak. The officials cited events such as weddings, church services, Halloween parties, birthday celebrations, poker game nights, and holiday dinners as ‘Superspreaders’. Further, they issued warnings about the holiday season gathering, asking county residents “to safely celebrate your holidays and keep you and your family and friends safe from COVID” and “working from home and celebrating with just your immediate family.” The 17 new positive cases from the company spread jumped Douglas County’s tally to 1,244, with 13 hospitalizations and a total of 37 coronavirus fatalities.

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“Our Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team, under the direction of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, who administer our local public health, our Douglas County Public Health Officer and Douglas Public Health Network, continue to devote all resources available to our local COVID response,” the officials said in the release.

County listed as 'extreme risk' area

Douglas was listed among the 29 Oregon counties that were categorized as the ‘extreme risk’ region. Last week, county governor Kate Brown had extended Oregon’s state of emergency until March 3. “As we near 100,000 cases of COVID-19 in Oregon, and with hospitals and health care workers stretched to their limits, there is no doubt that COVID-19 continues to pose a public health threat,” Brown said in a press briefing. She added that the county had lost many Oregonians to the deadly pandemic. 

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