No visitors younger than 14 allowed at Springfield hospitals due to RSV surge, record flu
With the respiratory illness season spiking early, Springfield hospitals Mercy and Cox announced Thursday that they are asking young visitors to stay home, since they can be asymptomatic while infected with RSV or influenza. There are no other restrictions on visitors, beyond the requirement in both hospital systems that visitors wear masks.
"We just don't want to bring in potential respiratory illnesses and potentially make people sicker," said Dr. Howard Jarvis, director of the emergency department at CoxHealth.
The restrictions come as Greene County is experiencing its worst influenza season in decades.
As of Nov. 26, the Springfield-Greene County Health Department reported 876 flu cases for the month of November, "making it the worst November for influenza in 20 years," said Kendra Findley, SGCHD administrator of community health and epidemiology. The second highest number of influenza cases in November was during the H1N1 outbreak in 2009, with 230 cases reported.
More:What you need to know about RSV, the flu and virus myths
"This is a situation we do not expect to improve over the next few months," said Jon Mooney, assistant director of SGCHD.
One of the most important things people can do, Mooney said, is to stay home when they're sick to prevent the spread of the illness. Health officials also encouraged vaccination, hand-washing and covering coughs and sneezes.
Hospital staffing is OK, but doctors worry peak is yet to come
Though both hospitals reported that they are "still well staffed," they encouraged people who are sick to consult their primary care physician first, who will direct them from there if they should go home, to urgent care or to the emergency room.
"We are staffed and definitely have the ability to take care of our community," said Dr. Gregory Ledger, chief medical officer for Mercy Springfield Communities.
Jarvis said Cox has been seeing a lot of patients with respiratory illness. While initially the hospital saw more children with RSV, that's shifted in the last week or so as more pediatric patients have come in with influenza.
More:RSV cases are higher than average in Springfield. Here's what parents should know.
"We've been running at about 75% to 100% capacity with pediatric patients," Jarvis said, "and about 75% of our pediatric admissions are related to respiratory illness, but very much not COVID."
Both Cox and Mercy encouraged patients to visit their primary care physicians first to avoid overloading the emergency department, especially with the uncertainty of how the season will shape up.
"It's hard to predict exactly where this is going to go, with influenza, this early in the season," Jarvis said. "To have numbers this high is concerning."
'It's not too late' to get your flu shot
About 36,000 people died from influenza or complications due to influenza in the 2019-2020 season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children, people over 65, immunocompromised people and pregnant women at at highest risk for falling severely ill with influenza.
The current strain of influenza A that is most common is also the most similar to this year's flu vaccine, Findley said. The CDC advises everyone older than 6 months to receive the flu shot. Though people are encouraged to get their flu vaccine before Halloween, they can still receive them now, either through a pharmacy or their primary care provider.
More:Experimental flu shot aims to target 20 influenza viruses in a single vaccine
"Thank you to everyone who has gotten a flu shot, and if you have not, it is not too late: This week is a wonderful opportunity to go get your flu shot," Mooney said.
It's unclear how many people have taken a flu shot this year since the vaccination information is not reported to the health department the way that COVID-19 vaccination was, according to Mooney. In Jarvis' experience this year, even older patients who have other conditions are doing better and were able to be discharged home if they've been vaccinated.
"The vaccine is not a cure, but it can help you prevent severe illness," Findley said.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield hospitals restrict visitors due to record high flu cases
