Coos Bay hospital lifts ER quarantine after hallucinations

COOS BAY, Ore. (AP) — A hospital in Coos Bay has lifted a quarantine of its emergency room after a 78-year-old patient, her caregiver, two sheriff’s deputies and a hospital employee all developed hallucinations.

The Coos Bay World reported Wednesday (http://bit.ly/2e8ATGO) that authorities have not yet pinpointed what caused the episodes but they believe it was something spread by direct contact. The sheriff’s department says one possibility is a medicated patch.

The bizarre incident began around 3 a.m. when the elderly woman’s caregiver called authorities to say people were vandalizing her car.

A responding deputy found nothing. The caregiver called back at 5:30 a.m. and was taken to the hospital after deputies decided she needed medical help.

Later, the two deputies who helped the caregiver, the caregiver’s patient and a hospital staffer all developed symptoms.