SOUTH JERSEY – Several hospitals and medical centers in South Jersey have reinstated mask-wearing as the state suffers its biggest COVID-19 spike since last winter.
Inspira Health, Cooper University Health Care, Jefferson Health and Virtua Health re-imposed mask mandates in all or some settings. Many of the health care providers have cited a higher incidence of respiratory viruses throughout the region.
These changes came amid a national surge in cases of COVID, flu and other respiratory viruses. In the U. S. , COVID hospital admissions increased 20. 4%, while emergency room visits increased 12. 8% over the weekend ending Dec. 30, according to the CDC.
Inspira Health began requiring visitors to mask up Thursday in all facilities. Patients and visitors will each be provided with a medical-grade face mask to wear on the premises.
Starting Friday, Cooper University Hospital in Camden is requiring everyone to wear masks in patient rooms. Patients are also required to wear masks at Cooper ambulatory care centers and at MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper sites.
Starting Saturday, Jefferson Health is requiring patients to wear masks with ear loops in emergency departments, urgent care centers and congregate settings, adding rehabilitation hospitals and nurse practitioner facilities. The mandate also applies to patients with viral respiratory symptoms at all other Jefferson Health facilities.
All other patients and all visitors are “strongly encouraged” to mask at Jefferson Health facilities as of Monday. Those with symptoms of a respiratory-virus infections should not visit patients, the health care provider said.
Virtua Health has reinstated the need to wear a mask for patients and visitors to emergency branches, if they are medically able. Staff also deserve to wear masks in patient meetings and congregate settings, such as meeting rooms and break rooms.
Dr. John Matsinger, executive vice president of Virtua Health, said the following in a statement:
“Virtua Health has reinstated mask use for all patient encounters of colleagues and in congregate settings (such as meeting rooms and breakout rooms). Patients and visitors to the hospital are also strongly encouraged to wear a mask. Everyone in the emergency department is also strongly encouraged to wear a mask. You will need to wear a mask (if you are medically capable) during your stay, either seeking care or accompanying someone else. Visits to adult emergency branches are limited to a matching partner with the patient. Virtua Health will continue to monitor transmission rates in the region. and adjust their policies accordingly.
The state’s hospitals had 773 COVID patients on Tuesday, the state’s total since January 2023, according to the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH).
The NJDOH recorded 645 COVID-related hospitalizations on Sunday, with 29 of 70 hospitals offering data.
The concentration of COVID in wastewater in the Northeast region, an early indicator of potential increases, doubled in the past month and reached its overall level since January 2022, when the Omicron outbreak subsided. View wastewater data from Biobot Analytics.
Meanwhile, the entire state showed high flu activity during the week ending Dec. 30, according to the NJDOH’s latest weekly report.
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