Pittsburgh health care giant UPMC is requiring masks at its facilities as it sees an increase in cases of covid, flu and other illnesses.
“UPMC is seeing an increase in cases of respiratory viruses, including covid, influenza and RSV,” according to a statement from UPMC. “To protect the health and safety of our employees, patients and visitors, everyone in our health care facilities will wear effective masks which reduce transmission of respiratory viruses in health care settings.”
The hospital system lifted its mask requirements in May in most areas as cases declined.
The mask policy will take effect Dec. 20. It’s unclear how long it will last.
“We will continue to monitor the number of cases in our communities and adjust our protocols as the situation evolves,” UPMC said.
The health care system, the largest employer in the state, has 95,000 workers at its 40 hospitals and 800 doctors’ offices and outpatient sites.
Dr. Amesh Adalja, a Pittsburgh-based infectious disease specialist for Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said masking decisions are best made on local levels.
“With respiratory virus season accelerating, health care facilities need to consider the risk of transmission of viruses like covid, influenza and RSV to patients and employees as well minimize workforce absenteeism,” he said.
UPMC Children’s Hospital has seen a spike in activity from a combination of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), covid-19 and flu cases, referred to by some as a “tripledemic.”
Between Oct. 2 and Dec. 2 in Allegheny County, there have been 1,241 cases of flu and 832 cases of RSV. In Westmoreland County, there have been 458 cases of flu and 177 cases of RSV. The RSV cases are about 790 cases higher in Pennsylvania as a whole than they were at this time last year, though last year’s peak was earlier and much greater.
Covid cases in Allegheny County for the week of Dec. 2 numbered 621, a jump from the previous week’s 528.
Allegheny Health Network has not changed its masking policy.
“According to CDC data and our own internal tracking, the numbers of emergency department visits and hospitalizations related to covid-19 and flu remain low across AHN’s footprint,” the Pittsburgh-based health care system said in a statement.
“While we will continue to take appropriate precautions at our hospitals and outpatient facilities when caring for patients with respiratory illness, including mask wearing among patients and staff, AHN is not implementing a broad masking requirement at this time,” AHN said. “We will continue to monitor the situation to determine if and when a network-wide masking mandate is required.”
AHN’s system includes 14 hospitals.
Officials with Independence Health System did not return calls seeking comment.
Stephanie Ritenbaugh is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Stephanie at [email protected].
