5 Kaiser employees potentially exposed to COVID-19

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    Hawaii (KITV) — Concerns over the coronavirus continue to grow as two cases have been confirmed in Hawaii. Now, employees at a local medical facility are being furloughed.

Five Kaiser Permanente employees may have been exposed to the virus and have been granted a leave of absence for 14 days a precaution.

“These furloughs are part of the protocols defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and regulatory agencies to ensure we have the right protections in place,” said a spokesperson for Kaiser.

Data actually suggests older people are twice as likely to have serious illness from the novel coronavirus, according to the CDC, which advises older people and those with severe chronic medical conditions to stay home as much as possible.

In an earlier statement, Kaiser said “The company is confident it can safely treat patients who’ve been infected with COVID-19… with limited risk to other patients, members and employees.”

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