Numerous health departments urge continuance of masking in medical clinics | Public Health Insider

The Seattle & King County, Tacoma-Pierce County, Snohomish County, Kitsap County, and more signed the joint statement.

March 30, 2023 1:30 am
Image courtesy Shutter Stock
Image courtesy Shutter Stock

Regional healthcare facilities across the Puget Sound region have issued a statement to continue requiring masking in acute care and outpatient clinic settings.

A regional consensus ensures a consistent and clear message that these healthcare facilities prioritize the health and safety of both their patients and employees.

Local health jurisdictions in our region including Public Health – Seattle & King County, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Snohomish County Health Department, Kitsap Public Health District, San Juan Health Department, and Clallam and Jefferson County Public Health Departments fully support the decision by healthcare organizations to require masking in their facilities at this time in order to decrease the ongoing risk of COVID-19.

“No one should get a preventable infection because they need to seek healthcare. Masking is an important way we can help make visiting healthcare facilities safer for the many people in our community of all ages who are at increased risk for severe infections,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County .”Public Health… (and Washington Department of Health) continues to recommend masks for patients, healthcare providers, and visitors in healthcare settings. The decision by regional healthcare providers to require masking is consistent with our recommendation.”

STATEMENT ON MASKING

Healthcare facilities have been and continue to be on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, prioritizing patient and healthcare worker health and safety. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is transmitted primarily through the air by small airborne and large respiratory droplets. Masking in high-risk settings has been central to help limit the spread of COVID-19 (as well as other respiratory viruses) along with other interventions such as vaccinations and attention to indoor air quality.

Today, local and regional healthcare systems re-state their commitment to patient and healthcare worker safety by continuing masking requirements in their acute care and outpatient clinic facilities. This is important and appropriate because the current community burden of COVID-19 remains substantial and is underestimated by case reporting. The risk for severe disease associated with infection among vulnerable people who must visit health care settings (including older adults, people with weakened immune systems or many other underlying health conditions, pregnant woman and infants) is ongoing. In addition, there are no currently available preventive treatments for immunocompromise patients, and post-COVID-19 conditions and long-COVID are additional significant but poorly measured health impacts of COVID-19.

For these reasons, local health jurisdictions in the Puget Sound region continue to recommend masking in healthcare facilities and we fully support this unified regional approach to decrease the risk for spread of COVID-19 in healthcare facilities. A regional consensus ensures a consistent and clear message that these healthcare facilities prioritize the health and safety of both their patients and employees.

Masking recommendations and requirements for healthcare facilities should be reevaluated as we learn more about the direction and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic over time and about the potential benefits of masking routinely during future annual respiratory virus seasons during which SARS-CoV-2, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other respiratory viruses co-circulate. As our communities learn to live with COVID-19, focus will increasingly be on protecting those at highest risk for severe disease. Regional local health jurisdictions will continue to work with our healthcare partners to reduce the burden of disease both within healthcare facilities and the community at large.

A REFRESHER ON MASKS

  • Use the best-quality and best-fitting mask you can get.
  • The masks that are best at filtering the virus are N95 and KN95, along with KF94 masks.
  • For the best protection, wear a mask with a snug fit all around your cheeks and nose.

Masks protect the wearer and other people from getting COVID-19. When a person talks, coughs, sneezes, or even breathes, they are exposing the people around them to respiratory droplets, and even smaller particles called aerosols. Masks help prevent the particles that contain the virus from spreading. Masks can be helpful in situations where someone has been infected but doesn’t have symptoms of COVID-19, and they may unintentionally spread the virus.