San Juan Basin Public Health is investigating a COVID-19 outbreak among staff members at Mercy Regional Medical Center.
The Durango-based hospital announced last week it was suspending all non-emergent procedures for the remainder of the week, citing COVID-19 cases among operating room staff members as the cause. Non-emergent procedures resumed as scheduled this week, according to the hospital.
As of Monday, 12 cases among staff members had been identified in the outbreak, which was first confirmed late last week, according to SJBPH. Outbreaks are defined as five or more confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19, identified within two weeks, in the same workplace.
“The case count may change if the ongoing outbreak investigation leads to new information,” said Chandler Griffin, SJBPH spokesman.
Mercy temporarily suspended non-emergent procedures as part of its response to the COVID-19 cases.
Staff members who had a risk of exposure to the coronavirus and/or showed COVID-19 symptoms were asked to quarantine, said Lindsay Radford, Mercy spokeswoman.
In line with state and federal guidance, staff members were then tested, and their return to work is based on test results, symptoms and vaccination status. All medical staff members on duty have been, and will continue to be, screened for COVID-19 symptoms daily, she said.
“We are pleased to report the operating room and cardiology clinic at Mercy Hospital are returning to a normal schedule this week and are now seeing scheduled patients, as well as those in need of emergency services,” Radford said.
COVID-19 case rates have increased among unvaccinated people, particularly as the fast-spreading delta variant has swept the nation.
Delta is so contagious that vaccinated people can still spread it, and health professionals are spotting “breakthrough cases,” when a vaccinated person becomes symptomatic with COVID-19.
Centura Health, the health care system that runs Mercy, does not require caregivers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. More than 80% of all staff members have been vaccinated at Mercy and systemwide, Radford said.
The hospital is encouraging vaccination, and offering $500 bonuses as an incentive for getting vaccinated, she said.
This is the third recorded outbreak of COVID-19 at Mercy during the pandemic, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The Mercy Employee Child Care Center experienced an outbreak of two cases among staff members in January. Mercy Family Medicine reported an outbreak of three cases among staff, also in January.
Outbreaks were formerly defined by the CDPHE as two or more cases at a workplace within two weeks.
smullane@durangoherald.com
