New York City Public Hospitals Reinstate Mask Mandates to Protect Against COVID-19 and Influenza
In response to a surge in COVID-19 cases and influenza respiratory infections, New York City public hospitals have reinstated mask mandates. The new mandates apply to 11 hospitals, 30 health centers, and five long-term care facilities in the NYC Health + Hospitals system. However, the indoor masking requirement only applies to patient care areas.
The decision to reinstate mask mandates is primarily aimed at protecting medical workers from respiratory illnesses. Hospital systems in other states, including California, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin, have also implemented similar measures.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), national hospital admissions due to COVID-19 increased by 16.7% in the week ending December 23. Additionally, the omicron variant is expected to account for a significant portion of circulating variants in the United States. However, CDC data shows that the variant does not appear to cause increased severity of illness.
The rise in cases of both COVID-19 and influenza has put a strain on healthcare systems across the country. Despite this, none of the New York City hospitals are currently overwhelmed with patients. Nevertheless, the increase in hospital admissions linked to influenza is alarming.
The CDC data indicates that only 44% of adults in the US had received the flu vaccination and 19% had received updated COVID-19 vaccinations by late December. These low vaccination rates further emphasize the importance of mask mandates as a precautionary measure.
The decision to mandate masks versus strongly recommending them depends on various factors, including the incidence of COVID-19 and influenza in the community as well as the presence of immunocompromised patients.
As news of the reinstated mask mandates spread, people have been expressing their opinions on social media. Some individuals question the effectiveness of masks despite being fully vaccinated. There are also critics of the mask mandates, with Senator Eric Schmitt calling the measures issued by the city of St. Louis “tyrannical.”
However, Dr. Marc Siegel believes that mask mandates make sense in hospitals to help decrease viral spread among vulnerable and severely ill patients. He notes that hospital workers are more likely to comply with mask mandates than the general population, thus reducing the risk of transmission within the healthcare environment.
With cases of COVID-19 and influenza on the rise, the reinstated mask mandates in New York City’s public hospitals serve as a reminder of the ongoing need for precautions to protect both medical workers and patients.
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