This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.
Seven Anaheim firefighters have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the past couple of weeks, including two who remain hospitalized in intensive care, officials said Monday.
Of the seven, three firefighters have since recovered and are back to work, while two others are home with minor symptoms, according to a statement from Anaheim Fire and Rescue Chief Pat Russell.
Two firefighters are still in the ICU, and one is on a ventilator, the statement read.
Anaheim officials confirmed that one of the hospitalized firefighters is Capt. Dave Baker, who appeared in an iconic picture featuring Mickey Mouse in 1993. That photo was also made into a plaque and presented to the city by Disneyland.
None of the other firefighters have been identified, but officials said all seven worked at the same station.
The initial case is believed to trace back to May 27, and was possibly related to exposure during a call for service, according to Mike Lyster, the chief communications officers for the city of Anaheim.
But it’s unclear whether there is a link between all seven.
“Despite extensive content tracing by our emergency medical services division, we cannot say entirely clearly wether the additional cases are tied to that first initial case,” Lyster said.
He noted that there are extensive measures in place to ensure firefighter safety, including daily health screening checks.
Up to 100 coronavirus tests have been conducted on firefighters and paramedics in recent weeks, including multiple rounds for those who tested positive for the respiratory infection, according to Lyster.
He added that fire stations are also regularly disinfected.
