Hospitals in areas across the U.S. have reintroduced mask mandates to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses.
City hospitals in New York City have reinstated masks after data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed a spike in cases in the state.
In New York, officials in hospitals felt the rise in hospital admissions in parts of the state including Suffolk and Nassau counties—both coping with a 33.2 percent rise in hospitalizations compared to the week before—was enough to reintroduce a mask mandate.
Kings County physician Elias Youssef said that the rise in Brooklyn, which had seen an increase of 24.8 percent, "slowly started to trickle up after the Thanksgiving holiday." The CDC data was measured through to December 16.
NYC Health + Hospitals said there would now be a mask policy at its facilities.
Youssef told News 12: "It's the same advice we've been giving to people year-round—if you don't feel well or others don't feel well, try to stay home or isolate. If you do go out in enclosed spaces, please wear a mask, an N95 is considered the best mask, if you have one available to you."
The picture is similar in Illinois, where at least 14 counties are currently listed as having "high" rates of new hospital admissions related to COVID compared to the week before. You can see the full map of data here.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) said on December 14 that it "is advising healthcare facilities to step up mitigation efforts to minimize the spread of respiratory viruses."
The health body said it "supports CDC's recommendation of facility-wide masking at healthcare facilities that are in counties" with high levels of COVID.
The IDPH said the measure was because of COVID, but also "elevated transmission" of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and flu
Counties such as Carroll and Jo Daviess saw a rise in admissions of 73.1 percent, but some counties with high rates did see a decrease in admissions compared to the week before.
Staff at UW Health—which operates hospitals and clinics in Illinois and Wisconsin, said the festive season was the worst for COVID they had seen in years.
"The day after Christmas, I've never seen the volumes like I've seen, that was like the worst of the COVID time," UW Health Chief Medical Officer James Cole told Illinois TV station WIFR 23. "We saw a record number of ED (Emergency Department) patients in the Belvidere hospital, we've never seen that many."
UW Health says it requires masks at many of its sites.
A California county has also urged residents to begin wearing masks in public and receive COVID-19 vaccinations.
Yolo County officials said in a news release that "a rise in respiratory virus activity in the community" meant people should think about wearing masks "in crowded, indoor spaces."
"Our wastewater monitoring program is currently detecting high COVID-19 and RSV levels," Yolo County public health officer Aimee Sisson said. "I recommend that everybody in the community take steps to protect themselves from infection, including wearing a high-quality mask when indoors around others.
"In addition, if you have not yet gotten the updated COVID-19 vaccine, annual flu vaccine, and RSV vaccine, I strongly encourage you to do so—it is not too late."
CDC data says Yolo County hospital admissions have gone up by 20.6 percent in the week before December 16.
A number of Bay Area counties, including Contra Costa, Sonoma, Alameda and San Mateo, ordered health workers to wear masks in healthcare facilities, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. Patients and visitors also have to wear them in care areas in Santa Clara County and Marin County.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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