Hospitals in at least four US states have reinstated mask mandates amid rising cases of Covid, seasonal flu and other respiratory illnesses.
Healthcare facilities in New York, California, Illinois and Massachusetts have made masks mandatory for patients and providers.
New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan told WABC TV on Wednesday that mask mandates have resumed at the city’s 11 public hospitals, 30 health centers and five long-term care facilities. duration.
« What we don’t want is a staff shortage, right? When we saw the omicron wave in 2022, the biggest problem was not just people getting sick, but also that we had a lot of frontline health care workers, they were out with COVID,” Vasan told WABC.
The most recent weekly data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that there were more than 29,000 COVID hospitalizations in the United States between Dec. 17 and Dec. 23, an increase of more than 16% by compared to the previous week. The CDC also reported more than 14,700 flu hospitalizations during the same period.
Mask mandates have been political and cultural flashpoints during the COVID pandemic, drawing anger from those who resisted medical advice and felt that masks did little to suppress the spread of the disease.
A conservative-dominated Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden’s federal vaccination or testing mandate for businesses, and a judge appointed by his Republican predecessor struck down his mask mandate on public transportation.
There was also deep resentment among those who wore masks and felt their health was being put at risk by those who did not.
More than 1.1 million Americans have died from COVID, according to CDC figures, a higher rate than most other wealthy countries.
Chicago’s Rush University Medical System said Tuesday it is requiring « patients, visitors and staff to wear hospital-approved masks in certain areas of campus. » These include clinical waiting areas and patient registration.”
Cook County Health, which encompasses Chicago, and Endeavor Health in suburban Chicago, began requiring masks again last month, after the Illinois Department of Public Health asked hospitals to step up mask-keeping efforts. mitigation in several areas, including facility-wide masking.
In Massachusetts, Berkshire Health Systems began mandatory mask wearing on Wednesday, according to a news release.
In California, Los Angeles County reinstated mask wearing in all licensed healthcare facilities on Saturday, according to a county statement provided to City News Service. The county health department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
