Main Line Health mask mandate in place for two weeks

As COVID-19 cases rise and suburban Philadelphia health systems treat more patients with the respiratory virus, Mainline Health is extending the COVID-19 pandemic to patients, staff, and visitors at all hospitals and outpatient facilities. It is mandatory to wear a mask for at least two weeks.

Across the river, Cooper University Health in New Jersey has also instituted a mask mandate. According to the website. Visitors to Cooper University Hospital will be required to wear masks starting Friday, and patients and visitors will be required to wear masks at the health system's outpatient facilities and MD Anderson Cancer Center at the Cooper office.

Mainline leaders made the decision along with the system's infectious disease experts who have been monitoring the region for respiratory viruses as the current “sick season” continues and holiday travel brings more outbreaks of illness. was lowered.

Last week, more than 10% of patients admitted to Main Line Hospital in Philadelphia's western suburbs suffered from respiratory illness. That number is typically in the single digits, said Brett Gilbert, Main Line's infectious disease director.

“This is a significant increase and will continue to increase based on the data established since the beginning of the pandemic,” Gilbert said.

The health system also looked at national and local data on the circulation of respiratory viruses to determine whether cases could rise.

The number of people infected with the new coronavirus and influenza is increasing.

Gilbert said influenza and coronavirus cases have been steadily increasing and are at levels expected for this time of year. He said the number of people infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is on a slight downward trend. RSV, like influenza, is a respiratory virus.

Pennsylvania reported 1,295 new hospitalizations due to coronavirus during the week of December 23, 2023. According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is slightly lower than the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations during the same period last year, and less than half the number reported during the January 2022 surge in cases caused by the Omicron variant.

Influenza cases are also on the rise across the state, with more than 15,000 cases reported in Pennsylvania last week.More than 5% of his emergency department visits in Southeastern Pennsylvania in the same week Diagnosed with influenza compared to about 3% for new coronavirus infections.according to state data.

“Right now, we don't see a flattening trend yet. I don't think we've reached the peak yet. Respiratory virus infections will be very active in the coming weeks,” Penn said. – Judith O'Donnell, director of infection prevention and control at Presbyterian Medical Center.

At least one other hospital system in the state has returned to masking. Since Dec. 20, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the state's largest health system serving primarily western and northeastern Pennsylvania, has Everyone in the facility must wear a mask.

Like most health systems in the Philadelphia area, Penn State is choosing to monitor the rise in respiratory illnesses rather than requiring masks for now. The system recommends that staff wear masks while caring for patients and will make “further decisions based on data and what's happening on the ground,” O'Donnell said.

A spokesperson for St. Christopher's Children's Hospital said the hospital is monitoring cases and “stands ready to transition to mask-wearing and other precautions as soon as necessary.”

A Temple Health spokesperson said the health system is also closely monitoring cases and is “ready to act as quickly as necessary” to protect patients and staff.

Several hospitals in the region eased mask requirements for health care workers last spring, and Philadelphia lifted its mask mandate. In May, these workers will be required to wear masks..

The ministry said in a statement that city health authorities are not considering requiring the general population to wear masks, noting that they have been monitoring the rise in respiratory illnesses since November.

The ministry said people who are sick should stay home or, if that is not possible, wear a mask in public places. People who have tested positive for COVID-19, have a high-risk condition, or are over 50 should consider talking to their doctor about medications to treat COVID-19, such as paxlobid. there is. The city also encouraged residents to continue getting vaccinated against COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus.

The department is also offering free home testing to residents of the following areas: 5 Philadelphia Resource Hubs.

Create a “defensive barrier”

Experts are concerned about the severity of the coronavirus cases Mainline Health has seen in recent months.

“The patients that are coming in are not just positive test results and asymptomatic patients. These patients are quite seriously ill, and some require admission to the ICU,” Gilbert said. “This problem has faded quite a bit over the first year and a half or so of the pandemic, but there are some patients who are coming in now who are quite severely ill.”

Gilbert and his team also considered the number of patients at mainline hospitals and the number of staff needed to care for them. The health system's emergency department has been “very busy” lately, he said.

“We need all our staff to be healthy and not get sick, and masking them creates a protective barrier,” he said.

Mainline facilities that will require masks for at least two weeks are:The health system says it will decide whether to extend the requirement. Based on hospital respiratory illness rates and guidance from national and local health agencies.