NORFOLK, Va. — Six Hampton Roads-area health systems are 'strongly recommending' that patients and visitors wear masks to protect them from skyrocketing cases of respiratory infection.
Bon Secour, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, Sentara, The Childrens Hospital of the King's Daughters, Eastern Virginia Medical School and Riverside Health System on Thursday released a joint statement, recommending masks be work inside the buildings at all times.
According to the Virginia Department of Health, there has been more than 16,000 reported infections in the commonwealth during this flu season.
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"When you’re looking at just how it’s getting tracked that’s in the red, we don’t like the red, so once we start to see it go back down and it really is the looking at it over these two week periods," said Caldwell Lewin, Sentara's Manager of Infection Prevention. "And as you see two weeks of lower transmission then these facilities and hospital organizations will start to reevaluate."
Doctor Anna Peoples with Peoples Pharmacy in Norfolk said she's seen a wave of people come into her office for care in the last week for flu-related symptoms.
"Yesterday, we had a lot of people coming in just to try and treat the symptoms for the cold and flu," she said.
Peoples said that since infections are getting so frequent, it could be a good idea to wear masks when out in public again, especially when inside.
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The other option is to get vaccinated.
“The flu strain is a little bit more resistant, and it’s more contagious," Dr. Peoples said. "So I would urge folks to, when they go out in closed environments, to wear a mask, or if they have any signs or if they have any signs or symptoms of having the flu or they think they have covid come in and get a COVID test."
Luwin told News 3's Conor Hollingsworth the recommendations actually never went away since COVID. The hospitals are just bringing them back to the forefront to protect people.
