ILLINOIS – Months after most medical facilities across Illinois dropped mask requirements as COVID-19 cases dropped across the state, state health officials are now recommending that patients again mask up in the face of increased respiratory viruses.
The Illinois Department of Public Health made the recommendation late last week as 51 Illinois counties are now reporting medium or high levels of COVID-19 hospitalizations. Due to the increase, the state is recommending that hospitals and other medical facilities step up their mitigation efforts to minimize the spread of viruses such as COVID-19, the flu and RSV.
The health department issued a health alert on Thursday to hospitals, long-term care facilities, and local health departments outlining various mitigation measures such as masking and screening, especially in areas where more vulnerable patients are treated.
In a news release, health officials said that IDPH supports the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation of facility-wide masking at healthcare facilities that are in counties rated at high levels for COVID-19 hospitalizations or per facility discretion in areas where data shows elevated transmission of other respiratory viruses such as flu and RSV, even if COVID-19 hospitalization levels are not high in those areas.
In Illinois, 1,225 new COVID-19 hospitalizations were reported last week, up 22 percent over the previous week.
IDPH also tracks ED visits and hospitalizations for flu and RSV, the department said. RSV is causing a heavy burden of pediatric hospitalizations, and the percent of lab tests that are positive for RSV have been rising for 10 consecutive weeks.
COVID-19 is causing the most hospitalizations among respiratory viruses, however, hospitalizations are also rising steadily for flu and RSV, the release said. The percent of positive lab tests for flu and COVID-19 have been rising for three consecutive weeks.
“With the alarming rise in respiratory viruses we are seeing across the state and the country, IDPH is recommending healthcare facilities take precautions to reduce the spread of these viruses and protect their patients, staff, and visitors,” IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a news release. “We are most concerned with healthcare facilities in counties with elevated respiratory virus transmission and hospitalization levels and recommend masking in patient care areas, especially in emergency departments and areas caring for patients who are immunocompromised.”
The number of counties listed at the “high” level for COVID-19 hospitalizations has doubled from five to 10 Illinois counties in central Illinois, including Sangamon, according to the CDC’s national COVID Data Tracker, as of the week ending December 2. That means they have seen more than 20 COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 population in the last week. Another 41 counties are at medium level for COVID-19 hospitalizations during the period, with between 10 and 20 COVID hospitalizations per 100,000, health officials said.
The state recently unveiled a new respiratory virus dashboard for Illinois that is updated each Friday. Under the guidance distributed today, healthcare facilities are advised to follow CDC guidance and implement facility-wide masking in counties that have high levels of COVID-19 hospitalizations.
In counties with increased incidence of respiratory illness in the community, hospitals are advised to screen staff and visitors for symptoms of respiratory viruses; to remind visitors entering patient rooms about hand hygiene and cough etiquette; and to encourage those with respiratory symptoms (such as fever, cough or sore throat) to defer non-urgent hospital visits and get tested for respiratory viruses before in-person visits or use telehealth services if possible.
