Mass General Brigham introduces new masking policy as respiratory illnesses rise

Health
During the week of Dec. 22 to Dec. 28, 18.6% of hospital admissions in the state were related to acute respiratory diseases, according to the Massachusetts Department of Health.

As cases of respiratory viruses soar, Mass General Brigham clinics and hospitals introduced new masking procedures Monday.
Earlier this week, Mass General Brigham escalated levels of respiratory virus activity in the community from “mild/moderate” to “high.”
“To protect our patients, visitors, and staff, as of January 6th, you will see staff wearing masks more often,” the health care system said in a statement. “We do this during periods of high respiratory virus activity to protect our patients and care teams.”
What is the new policy?
Staff will mask during direct interactions with patients in patient rooms, patient bays, and other clinical care areas, according to the statement. However, they won’t be required to mask in lobbies and other common areas.
Patients and visitors will be “strongly encouraged, but not required” to mask as well.
Visitors with fever or other flu-like symptoms are asked to postpone their visit to the care facilities. Those who have been exposed to COVID but are asymptomatic are still authorized to visit patients, but must wear a facility-issued mask.
How widespread are respiratory illnesses in Massachusetts?
For two consecutive weeks, the percentage of patients presenting at emergency rooms and outpatient facilities with respiratory illnesses exceeded Mass General Brigham’s threshold of 2.85% in the region, prompting the policy change. However, local health officials say the rise is consistent with expectations for this time of year.
During the week of Dec. 22 to Dec. 28, 18.6% of hospital admissions in the state were related to acute respiratory diseases, including COVID-19, influenza, and RSV, according to the Massachusetts Department of Health. Of the roughly 63,421 emergency department visits during the same week, 16% were attributed to respiratory illnesses.
Slightly fewer people have been vaccinated for influenza this season so far, with 35.2% as of the 26th week of the 2024-2025 season, compared to 37.8% at the same time last cycle, the department reported.
When measuring the frequency of respiratory symptoms and conditions diagnosed by emergency department doctors, as of Jan. 3, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has designated overall respiratory illness activity in Massachusetts as “moderate.”
Still, the CDC found “very high” levels of RSV and “high” levels of COVID-19 and the flu in the state’s wastewater.
Infected people often shed virus in wastewater, even when they don’t experience symptoms, according to health officials. High wastewater levels may indicate an increased level of infections “even when other measures remain low,” the CDC reported.
How was the policy determined?
Mass General Brigham uses the CDC’s surveillance network to monitor respiratory virus levels.
While there are no statewide mandates that regulate health systems’ response to respiratory virus cases, all hospitals and healthcare facilities in the Mass General Brigham system follow the same policy.
This week’s masking requirements are a result of Mass General Brigham’s updated infection control policies the healthcare system implemented in October 2023. The respiratory virus season is considered to have started when over 1.9% of patients show symptoms of respiratory illness, according to the policy.
Mass General Brigham developed the thresholds after local hospitals combatted a “tripledemic” of COVID-19, flu, and RSV in 2022 when respiratory infection levels reached 7.3%.
“The policy approach uses a variety of interventions, including targeted masking, to mitigate risk of spread of all respiratory viruses,” Erica Shenoy, chief of Infection Control at Mass General Brigham, said in a statement.
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