Do you need to wear a mask in NY hospitals? Here's where to mask up amid COVID, flu wave
Mask mandates returned at many hospitals in New York as COVID-19, flu and other respiratory viruses appeared to peak in recent weeks.
The return of indoor mask wearing at many health facilities comes as New York's virus tracking data now suggested flu and COVID-19 infections this season are beginning to decline. But the amount of illness, including a rise in lingering coughs, remained high — with more than 4,500 New Yorkers hospitalized for flu or COVID-19 the week of Jan. 6 — though well below pandemic-era levels, the most recent state data show.
Which hospitals in New York require masks
State health officials on Jan. 8 recommended indoor masking return in health care, and the list of health systems renewing mask mandates for visitors and workers has grown steadily over the past month.
That includes mask requirements at hospitals in Rochester Regional Health's system, as well as many hospital networks across the Hudson Valley, including WMC Health, Montefiore and NewYork-Presbyterian. Masks are also required at UHS hospitals in the Binghamton area, Mohawk Valley Health System and hospitals in the New York City Health and Hospitals system.
Still, some health systems stopped short of requiring masks and instead strongly encouraged they be worn by visitors. This list included UR Medicine in the Finger Lakes and Northwell Health sites in the Hudson Valley.
Cold and flu:Why are so many New Yorkers coughing? What's happening, and how to treat a lingering cough
Which masks must be worn in New York hospitals?
The mask mandates at New York hospitals varied in terms of the types of face coverings, with some requiring surgical masks and others accepting cloth masks.
Some critical care units also required higher-level N95 or KN95 masks be worn. Most health systems asked visitors to call ahead or check websites to get the latest details on masking requirements for specific hospitals and wards.
State officials lifted the mask mandate for health care settings in February of 2023.
Has COVID, flu peaked in New York?
The latest virus tracking date suggested flu cases topped out at about 32,000 cases the week of Dec. 30 before dropping to about 23,000 the following week. That's compared to the historic peak of nearly 53,000 flu cases in one week in early December last year.
COVID-19 tracking, including wastewater surveillance, suggested the virus was still spreading at high levels across much of the state. But daily hospitalization numbers indicated the wave may have peaked earlier this month, at about 4,000 COVID-19 patients. About 3,000 COVID-19 patients were in the hospital as of Jan. 11, the most recent data show.
Still, the amount of respiratory viruses circulating now assures at least several more weeks of high levels of illness. And health officials and experts have warned predicting the ebb and flow of cold and flu season is extremely difficult, urging New Yorkers to get vaccinated against the flu and COVID-19.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Do NY hospitals require masks with COVID, flu peaking recently?
