Coronavirus: 700-plus health care workers in Detroit hospital system test positive for virus

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

At least 700 employees for a single Detroit hospital system have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, multiple news outlets are reporting.

According to WDIV-TV, the Henry Ford Health System said Monday that 734 of its 31,000-plus employees at five hospitals tested positive for the virus.

"As a health system caring for a large majority of our region's COVID-19 patients, we know we are not immune to potential exposure, and we remain grateful for the courage and dedication of our entire team," Dr. Adnan Munkarah, chief clinical officer for the hospital system, told the Detroit News.

The system did not reveal whether any employees had died from the virus, WXYZ-TV reported.

According to the Detroit Free Press, many hospital workers in Michigan have been reusing personal protective equipment amid a shortage of masks, gowns and other supplies, raising concerns about employees' safety.

As of Tuesday morning, Michigan had reported more than 17,221 confirmed coronavirus cases and 727 deaths, Johns Hopkins University reported. The state had the third-highest number of cases in the United States, trailing only New York and New Jersey.

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