Editorial: Be armed against triple COVID, flu, RSV viral threat – Sentinel & Enterprise

As COVID cases continue to rise, Lowell General Hospital has joined many other Massachusetts medical centers in reinstating its masking requirement for employees. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

We may have learned to live with the coronavirus and its many offshoots, but that doesnt mean it can be written off as just another infectious nuisance.

Recent masking updates at our states hospitals indicate that COVID, though somewhat neutralized, hasnt released its grip entirely.

And as COVID cases continue to rise, Lowell General Hospital has joined many other Massachusetts medical centers in reinstating its masking requirement for employees to stem the coronavirus spread during the peak transmission months for several communicable diseases.

LGH spokesperson Robert Brogna stated that the hospital has recently experienced extremely high patient volumes, at its inpatient campuses.

And we are seeing an increase in respiratory illness activity in our community, including influenza, COVID-19 and RSV, the statement from LGH indicated. This trend, along with review and evaluation of a number of critical local data elements including, but not limited to, staff absenteeism, patient infection rates, hospitalization numbers, as well as state and national data, including wastewater trends, have led us to shift to mandatory masking in all patient rooms and care spaces for all staff members beginning Friday, December 29, 2023 at 7:00 am.

The states data measuring COVID detected in wastewater used to track trends of the number of people with the illness has shown a spike since Thanksgiving. That measurement has proven to be a reliable early warning sign of increases, since the virus can show up in wastewater as much as a week before positive test results do.

A GBH report in late December confirmed the disturbing wastewater trend.

The concentration of COVID-19 in our local wastewater samples here in Boston is very high, and its continuing to increase, said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Bostons commissioner of public health and executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission. Over the course of the last two weeks, weve noted about a 23% increase in our Boston samples.

Another key metric that public health officials focus on is hospitalization rates.

Our hospitals are at or above capacity and theres waiting times in emergency departments, said Dr. Larry Madoff, medical director of the Bureau of Infectious Disease and Lab Sciences for the state Department of Public Health.

One week in late December, 16.7% of emergency room visits in the state were due to respiratory virus infections.

Thats as high as weve seen it this season, Madoff said.

The new Lowell General masking policy does not apply to visitors or patients for now, though the hospital strongly encourages visitors to wear a mask while on-site.

The return of the masking policy for staff follows similar announcements from other Massachusetts health-care systems, some of which have taken it a step further.

Worcester-based UMass Memorial Medical Center reinstated its mask mandate for caregivers in all patient and common areas, and in all patient encounters, on Tuesday.

Patients wont be required to wear masks, though theyll be encouraged to do so. At the discretion of hospital employees, visitors may be asked to wear a mask if they are exhibiting symptoms of respiratory illness.

Beth Israel Lahey, Boston Medical Center and Dana Farber reintroduced mask requirements in December, while Mass General Brigham and UMass Memorial started mandating masks on Tuesday, followed by Tufts Medicine of which Lowell General is part on Wednesday.

At Mass General Brigham facilities, patients and visitors are strongly encouraged to wear masks, but they are still optional for those groups at most locations.

However, Boston Medical Center already requires patients and visitors in most settings to wear a mask.

Masks arent entirely directed at COVID containment. Theyre also in place to protect against an increase in a range of respiratory viruses, like RSV and various strains of influenza.

While not new, masking to prevent infectious disease transmission has taken on added importance and acceptance since the onset of the pandemic.

We have a tool that is not just specific to COVID, and these respiratory viruses do on their own have a significant level of morbidity, mortality, missed days from work, Dr. Cassandra Pierre, infectious disease specialist at Boston Medical Center, told GBH. Weve had this understanding from COVID that we can protect our health-care workers, our patients and our staff by using the same mask mandates that were helpful during the pandemic.

Pierre said that decision was especially important given the vulnerable and minority population at Boston Medical Center whove typically borne the brunt of COVID and other respiratory complications.

And if rising rates of COVID, influenza and RSV arent enough, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that another new COVID variant, JN.1, has emerged as a new dominant variant. The CDC estimates that JN.1 now accounts for 39-50% of all new cases in the United States.

Updated vaccines for COVID, the flu, and RSV remain available, so its not too late to arm yourself with some added protection during these viruses most active transmission periods.

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Editorial: Be armed against triple COVID, flu, RSV viral threat - Sentinel & Enterprise