Boston area hospitals are once again requiring healthcare staff to wear masks when interacting with patients, and are encouraging patients to mask, as well.
The changes are the result of a rise in respiratory viruses, and come as cases of the gastrointestinal norovirus are also peaking in the region.
Data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health shows cases of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, haven risen similar to the seasonal peaks seen in recent years, while COVID-19 cases remain relatively low.
Mass General Brigham’s updated mask policy began on Monday. Other hospitals, including Tufts Medical Center and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, revised their policies in late December.
When universal mask mandates were dropped at hospitals in 2023, the state left it up to individual hospitals to determine what metrics they’d use in determining when to reinstate mask requirements. MGB chose to use the CDC’s metric of influenza-like illness in New England states. The change was triggered this week by that number hitting one and a half times the baseline level.
The increase in respiratory viruses is in keeping with a winter trend, said Dr. Erica Shenoy, chief of infection control at Mass General Brigham.
“This year started a little bit slow, but now it’s kind of ramped up the way we expect it to,” Shenoy said. “So for right now, it looks fairly typical. Probably, we’ll follow what last year looked like.”
Respiratory viruses tend to spike in the winter for several reasons, says Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
“First, with the winter weather, people tend to congregate indoors,” Barouch said. “A second reason is that for the holidays, people tend to travel and have larger groupings. And thirdly, people are taking far fewer precautions now than they did in prior years because we’re out of the pandemic phase for COVID. So really, for all three reasons, we’re seeing a predictable surge now.”
That surge shouldn’t cause too much anxiety, Barouch said.
“It’s a reason for people to take intelligent precautions, perhaps more so for people who are more vulnerable,” Barouch said. “I don’t think that this is a cause of alarm, but I do think it’s a cause for vigilance.”
When it comes to norovirus, Shenoy echoed that sentiment.
“I don’t think it’s a real cause for alarm,” Shenoy said. “I think it’s just good to be aware so that you can take the measures you need to protect yourself and also protect others around you.”
Those suggested precautions won’t come as a surprise.
“The ways to help keep yourself healthy this winter are things everybody knows,” said Dr. Shira Doron, chief infection control officer for Tufts Medical Center. “Wash your hands. Stay away from sick people. Take care of others by staying home when you are sick. You can add a mask when you’re out in crowded public places, if you wish, to try to try to reduce that risk of respiratory infection. But I think that the most important thing that people can do, because you can’t outrun every contagious virus out there, is maintain that underlying health.”
That’s done by managing chronic medical conditions, getting sufficient sleep, eating nutritious food, exercising, and managing stress, Doron said, all of which enhance the immune system.
