PINEVILLE, N.C. — State health leaders confirm a total of 59 positive COVID-19 cases are tied to a cluster at Atrium Health Pineville.
WCNC Charlotte reached out to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) on Thursday. WCNC Charlotte was able to get confirmation from the agency. According to NCDHHS, the bulk of the positive tests were in health care workers at the hospital. 50 workers tested positive, while the remaining nine cases were tied to patients. Of the 50 workers tested, 35 were already vaccinated against the virus.
NCDHHS says so far, the State Laboratory of Public Health has sequenced 33 test specimens from the cluster, all of which showed the delta variant was present.
Atrium Health also confirmed the cluster to WCNC Charlotte, sharing the email sent to Atrium Health Pineville employees discussing what was happening. The employee email said hospital leaders have already reached out to potential close contacts with the COVID-positive individuals, but believed the risk of contracting the virus was low because personal protective equipment (PPE) was used.
The conditions of the patients or the health care workers were not shared by Atrium Health.
Both the email from Atrium leadership and the response to WCNC Charlotte from NCDHHS shared a similar tone, urging more people to get vaccinated against the virus.
Following is the full text of the email sent to Atrium Health Pineville employees from vice president and facility executive Alicia Campbell:
Teammates,
We wanted to let you know, that despite all of the precautions and policies we’ve put in place to keep the virus out of our facilities, the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 is becoming more rampant. We are researching positive COVID-19 tests among some of our teammates.
We are currently engaged in contact tracing and testing of any impacted teammates and patients in order to identify those needing care and to control the potential for further spread. We are also working with all necessary health officials to investigate the situation.
Out of an abundance of caution, and with concern for the privacy of each individual, we have reached out directly to teammates and patients who were in the affected area to let them know that they could have come into contact with a COVID-positive person. We believe their risk of contracting COVID is low, given the proper use of personal protective equipment.
As a reminder of our COVID-Safe Behaviors, please do your part to help stop the spread of infection:
- Get vaccinated as it remains the best way to protect yourself, your family and our community.
- Don’t work when you are sick or have symptoms of illness, even if you think it’s allergies.
- Wear the required masks, eye protection and other personal protective equipment appropriately.
- Practice proper hand hygiene.
- Stay at least 6 feet apart, especially in teammate lounge areas when taking meal and drink breaks.
We must remain vigilant as the Delta variant of COVID continues to have a deeper impact on our community. The Delta variant is nearly twice as contagious as previous variants and practicing our COVID-Safe Behaviors are more important than ever. More than 95% of people hospitalized or who died from COVID in recent weeks were unvaccinated.
COVID-Safe Behaviors – including not working when ill, wearing appropriate PPE and distancing – are required safety precautions under HR Policy 4.05 Infectious Disease Prevention, Teammate Responsibilities and HR Policy 4.14 COVID-19. Please remember that failing to follow these requirements can result in counseling and corrective action as outlined in HR Policy 5.15.
Thank you for the extraordinary effort you continue to show to care for our patients, and for holding yourself and your teammates accountable for our safety requirements. Each of us as individuals – and all of us as together as a team – are vital to our ability to provide the safe care our patients deserve and expect.