Aug. 26, 2020

Kitsap Public Health announces additional actions in response to St. Michael COVID-19 outbreak

KITSAP COUNTY, WA — The Kitsap Public Health District announced additional actions on Wednesday, Aug. 26, to control a COVID-19 outbreak at St. Michael Medical Center in Bremerton and protect public health.

Actions include issuing new public health requests to the hospital, testing of 2,500 of the medical center’s Kitsap County employees, and development of an incident command structure to coordinate the outbreak response and streamline data sharing between the Health District and hospital.

Kitsap Public Health, with support from the state Department of Health, has been working closely with St. Michael to control the outbreak, which was first identified in mid-August.  As of Tuesday, 45 confirmed COVID-19 cases had been connected to the outbreak.

“The outbreak at St. Michael is hugely concerning for our community and all of us at Kitsap Public Health. We are marshaling every resource at our disposal to prevent additional illness and protect public health,” Kitsap Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Gib Morrow said. “In addition to our contact tracing work, we have activated and are coordinating a comprehensive, multi-agency response to identify the full extent of the outbreak and control its spread. We are confident that continued, aggressive action will successfully resolve this situation and help prevent future cases.”

New public health recommendations

Kitsap Public Health issued a new set of public health requests and recommendations to St. Michael on Wednesday to support the hospital in preventing additional spread, enhance communication with the public, and improve coordination with public health. The requests are included in a letter sent to the hospital on Wednesday, Aug. 26.

The requests build on guidance Kitsap Public Health provided to the hospital on Aug. 21. An infection control expert from the state Department of Health visited the hospital on Tuesday, Aug. 25 and is expected to provide additional recommendations.

Comprehensive testing of St. Michael employees

Responding to a request from St. Michael, the Kitsap County Emergency Operations Center (KCEOC) Congregate Setting Outbreak Response Team, in coordination with Kitsap Public Health is working to provide baseline COVID-19 testing of all 2,500 of the medical center's employees as rapidly as possible. Follow-up testing is planned.

KCEOC staff members are coordinating volunteers from Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management, Empact Northwest and Bainbridge Island’s Medical Reserve Corps. Tuesday, volunteers helped to administer 867 tests to St. Michael employees and testing will continue through the week. More than 50 staff and volunteers have been involved in planning and executing this testing effort.

Dr. Morrow noted the outbreak at St. Michael is just one example of the continuous impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the Kitsap community and an urgent reminder of the need to bring the virus under control.

“Our hearts go out to the essential frontline workers, patients, and their families who have been directly impacted,” Dr. Morrow said. “This outbreak is a reminder that when COVID-19 is spreading in our community, everyone is at heightened risk of getting sick, including those in health care settings. We ask that all community members continue to take steps to protect their health and slow the spread of the virus so we can prevent future outbreaks.”

Additional resources

• Kitsap Public Health St. Michael outbreak page
• Michael Bremerton webpage
• 24 Media Briefing Video
• 21 news release | español

MEDIA CONTACT: pio@kitsappublichealth.org