health officials say the rapid increase in cases at the store resembles a “super-spreaders event” in which multiple people are infected at the same time.
The findings were released Tuesday by the Yakima County Health District following a storewide test at the Union Gap Costco.
All 145 employees who tested positive are in quarantine or isolation, but the store itself remains open, officials said. The store has 383 employees.
Yakima County public health officials say the store has seen a rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, from 68 on Thursday to 145 on Monday. Officials say the number of infections could be even higher.
We expect the number of cases to continue to increase in the days following receipt of the results as Costco continues to conduct site-wide testing,” said Melissa Sixberry, director of disease control for Yakima County.
Lillian Bravo, head of the Yakima County Public Health Partnership, said the store is now implementing the Health District’s recommendations to slow or stop the spread of the virus, so it is allowed to remain open.
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Yakima County Interim Health Officer Larry Jecha, MD, said the Costco outbreak was not an isolated incident.
“COVID-19 activity levels continue to increase throughout the county. We need the community’s help to also follow COVID-19 safety recommendations so we can keep our workplaces safe, so we can keep our schools safe, so we can keep everyone safe. Keeping other safe by maintaining our health system.” He said.
To date, 18,100 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported in Yakima County.
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