As Washington continues to deal with an outbreak of a toxic strain of E.coli and the coronavirus pandemic, there are now reports of a norovirus-like illness reportedly infecting nearly two dozen people, according to KING 5.
King County health officials said 23 people from six unrelated parties were left sick after eating food at Habit Burger Grill in Shoreline between May 21 and May 24, 2021. One person was hospitalized, they added.
Officials said they haven't determined how the norovirus was spread within the restaurant, and no employees of the restaurant have reported getting sick.
"Environmental health investigators visited the restaurant on May 26 and did not find any risk factors that are known to contribute to the spread of norovirus," reporters learned. "The restaurant was required to do a thorough cleaning and disinfection and investigators will return in two weeks to ensure ongoing food safety compliance, officials said."
Norovirus is a highly contagious disease with symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, body aches, and chills, officials said. They noted that the virus rarely causes severe complications.
The last time there was a norovirus outbreak in the Seattle area was in December 2019, which was also tied to a restaurant. At least 43 people were infected, KING 5 wrote.
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