Union Says UC Davis Medical Center ER Nurse Tested Positive For COVID-19
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The California Nurses Association said an ER nurse at the UC Davis Medical Center tested positive for COVID-19.
A spokesperson for the hospital said they have no official record of the case, but there is an investigation underway. According to an internal email obtained by CBS13, 16 patients have tested positive at the UC Davis Medical Center, 3 of whom are employees.
The California Nurses Association mentioned that this nurse may have gotten the virus after treating a patient who was positive. This comes at a time when nurses are fighting to prevent exposure, as supplies dwindle.
One nurse at Kaiser in Roseville told CBS 13 her biggest worry is getting infected and spreading the virus to her family.
READ: Hospital Taking Donations Amid Nationwide Supply Shortage
"We're coming in and taking care of patients that have something that's infectious that we could actually get and die from," said Joanne Imwalle, who works at Kaiser Roseville.
UC Davis said it's the protocol for a UC Davis staff member who tests positive should report that to HR. Then appropriate steps are taken to detect exposure to patients and other employees. This wouldn't be the first employee case UC Davis has responded to.
On March 20th, a member of the UC Davis health community on the Sacramento campus tested positive for COVID-19. The source of the infection was unknown, but the employee was not involved in the treatment of a patient who tested positive for the virus.
ALSO: All 89 UC Davis Med Center Employees On Self-Quarantine Test Negative For Coronavirus
Right now nurses across our area say lack of protective gear is exposing them at work.
"I'm not sure that I'm fully protected when i go to work," Imwalle said.
UC Davis Med Center assures its employees that "We have sufficient and ready supply of personal protective equipment available for all providers who need it."
