CHEO is reinstating public health measures for visitors to the hospital as viral season begins.
Beginning Monday (Nov. 17), visitors will be asked to wear masks while in all waiting areas and during clinical interactions.
CHEO
will also begin limiting visitors. There will be a limit of one caregiver for patients
attending appointments
, and no visitors under the age of 12 – including siblings – will be allowed.
The precautions are being taken to help reduce the spread of viruses and protect those who visit the hospital and its community locations, said spokesperson Karl Oczkowski.
The
public health measures
come ahead of what is expected to be a severe viral season. Influenza is expected to be more severe than usual, as countries in the Southern Hemisphere had a particularly rough season. COVID-19 cases are expected to tick up, as are RSV cases.
Viral season has, in the past, overwhelmed some children’s hospitals, including CHEO.
But this marks the second year that a new treatment has been available for infants to protect them against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which can be deadly for very young children.
Tammy DiGiovanni, who is senior vice-president of clinical services and chief nursing executive at CHEO, said the introduction of an RSV vaccine for infants last year made a significant difference in the number of serious cases of RSV the hospital saw. Last year, around 70 per cent of newborns were vaccinated. DiGiovanni said she is hoping the infant vaccination rate is closer to 85 per cent this year.
The RSV vaccine “has been a real game changer for us,” she said. Still, she expects the viral season will be busy.
CHEO will also open an overflow unit next week to prepare for a surge of patients.
“We know it is just around the corner.”
Influenza season has not officially begun in Ontario, but other jurisdictions have seen a more severe-than-usual flu season, and Japan has seen a higher-than-usual number of Influenza B cases show up early, said infectious disease expert and Queen’s University professor Dr. Gerald Evans. Influenza B is typically more severe for children.
DiGiovanni said everyone should take precautions when they are sick with respiratory symptoms. That includes masking, distancing from others, washing hands, staying home from work and getting influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. RSV vaccines are available for infants and those 75 and older, as well as people 60 and older at higher risk.
