Pittsburgh healthcare giant UPMC is requiring masks in its facilities due to rising cases of the coronavirus, influenza and other illnesses.
“UPMC is experiencing an increase in cases of respiratory viruses, including the novel coronavirus, influenza, and RSV,” according to a statement from UPMC. “To protect the health and safety of our employees, patients, and visitors, everyone in our healthcare facilities wears effective masks that reduce the transmission of respiratory viruses in healthcare settings.”
The hospital system lifted mask mandates in most areas in May after cases declined.
The mask policy will go into effect on December 20th, but it is unclear how long it will last.
“We will continue to monitor the number of cases in our community and adjust our protocols as the situation evolves,” UPMC said in a statement.
Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert at the Pittsburgh-based Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said the decision to wear masks is best made at the local level.
“As respiratory virus outbreaks accelerate, healthcare facilities must minimize employee absenteeism and consider the risk of transmitting viruses such as COVID-19, influenza, and RSV to patients and employees,” he said. There is a need.”
UPMC Children's Hospital is seeing a surge in activity due to a combination of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Covid-19 and influenza cases, which some are calling “tripleemia” .
From October 2 to December 2, Allegheny County had 1,241 cases of influenza and 832 cases of RSV. Westmoreland County has 458 influenza cases and 177 RSV cases. The number of RSV cases is about 790 higher across Pennsylvania than at the same time last year, although the peak last year was earlier and much higher.
There were 621 new coronavirus cases in Allegheny County for the week of Dec. 2, up from 528 the week before.
Dr. Brian Parker, Allegheny Health Network's chief quality and learning officer, told TribLive this month that while he hasn't seen a significant increase in the number of patients admitted to the hospital for these three illnesses in recent weeks, the system is “on vacation.” Increased activity of respiratory diseases during and after holidays.
“Of the patients admitted to Adult Cavernous with these respiratory illnesses, most are elderly, immunocompromised, and/or have chronic illnesses. Generally, they are hospitalized for two to three days. ,” Parker told TribLive. “In terms of influenza, our region has had a typical influenza season so far, and the number of influenza cases has been steadily increasing.”
Stephanie Leitenbaugh is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Contact Stephanie at [email protected].
