A New Jersey Starbucks Employee With Hepatitis May Have Exposed Thousands Of People Who Ordered Coffee At That Location While Working Multiple Shifts This Month
Gloucester Township, New Jersey. In Gloucester Township, New Jersey, there’s a Starbucks location that sits at 1490 Blackwood Clementon Road.
If you happened to have visited that particular Starbucks this month on November 4th, 5th, 6th, 11th, 12th, or 13th, you may have been exposed to Hepatitis A, along with thousands of other people who ordered coffee at that location.
“Hepatitis A is very contagious,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains. “It is spread when someone unknowingly ingests the virus — even in microscopic amounts — through close personal contact with an infected person or through eating contaminated food or drink.”
“Symptoms of hepatitis A can last up to 2 months and include fatigue, nausea, stomach pain, and jaundice. Most people with hepatitis A do not have long-lasting illness.”
The Camden County Health Department issued a press release on November 18th that confirmed they were made aware of the fact that an employee at Starbucks on Clementon Road tested positive for Hepatitis A, and they worked multiple shifts while they were contagious.
“Members of the Food Surveillance Unit visited the store on Wednesday and conducted an inspection, which showed no evidence of food safety violations,” the Camden County Health Department wrote.
“Based on the ongoing investigation the store was closed for operation and was not reopened until all the employees were vaccinated.”
According to the CDC, the best way to ensure that you don’t get Hepatitis A is to get vaccinated for it, and that’s exactly what the Camden County Health Department is recommending you do if you think you may have come in contact with that Starbucks employee.
The best time to get vaccinated is within 14 days of exposure to Hepatitis A.
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Speaking to CNN, Dan Keashen, a spokesperson for Camden County, revealed that the Starbucks on Clementon Road serves around 600 people per day.
“They’re saying they have an average of 600 patrons a day and some are return patrons maybe going multiple times a day…but the exposure is probably in the thousands,” Dan said.
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