Respiratory illnesses lead 7 Southeast Michigan hospitals to limit visitors

Corewell Health was the latest health system to enact tighter visitor restrictions in response to a high number of pediatric admissions and an increase in respiratory illnesses throughout Michigan.

Effective Friday, Jan. 10, seven of the system’s Southeast Michigan hospitals will limit visitors in pediatric areas to two people during the day and one person overnight.

Those locations, which all remain open and ready to care for patients, include Corewell Health hospitals in Grosse Pointe, Dearborn, Farmington Hills, Trenton, Troy, and Wayne, as well as Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak.

The latest restrictions apply for patients and birthing mothers on pediatric in-patient units, pediatric ICU, neonatal ICU, and birthing and postpartum units. People giving birth can have one birthing partner and one additional visitor.

Related: Michigan hospital limits guests amid rise of flu, RSV

Visitors should stay home if they feel sick. It’s also recommended that they wash their hands frequently and get vaccinated against influenza, whooping cough, RSV, and COVID-19.

Corewell’s announcement Friday came a day after Detroit Medical Center strengthened its visitor policy. The health system has experienced a rise in RSV cases among children, and flu among both adults and children.

RSV is a common virus that infections the respiratory tract, causing cold-like illness. It can lead to severe illness for infants and older adults if it causes difficulty breathing and/or high fever.

Michigan’s influenza-like illnesses activity level for the week ending Dec. 28 was “high,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were 14 states with a “high” level and 22 states with a “very high” level of activity as of the most recent surveillance period.

About 4.5% of outpatient health care visits in Michigan that week were for flu-like illness, which was up from 2.6% the week prior and marked the highest rate of the season. The latest national rate was 6.8%.

Related: Disease known to hospitalize children is continuing to spread in Michigan

Corewell reduced its visitors each of the last two years in response to rises in respiratory illness. DMC said it has done so annually as well to protect their patients and caregivers.

It’s not too late to get yourself or your family vaccinated against influenza, COVID-19 and/or RSV. For more information, talk to your primary care physician or check out the vaccine finder at Michigan.gov.