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Covid cases surge as some hospitals adjust policies and doctors advise vaccines

By and David Komer
Published  January 5, 2024 7:54pm EST
Health
FOX 2 Detroit

Spike in Covid cases have some medical systems changing visitor policies

There's a current surge in Covid and respiratory illnesses, and Dr. Matthew Sims from Corewell Health joined us to talk about what we can do.

FOX 2 (WJBK) - After the holidays with the temperatures dropping, many of us are battling coughing, sneezing and runny noses - 'tis the season.

"Across the system in all three divisions of Corewell, between 13 and 15 percent of the patients admitted to the hospital were for respiratory viruses either Covid, flu, RSV - and that’s pretty significant," said Dr. Matthew Sims.

These increased numbers are getting the attention of hospitals across Metro Detroit.

"Policies haven’t changed yet, it’s always something under consideration as numbers go up to whether we put a mask mandate in for the hospital again, (or) do we restrict visitors again," Sims said.

FOX 2 also reached out to Henry Ford Health and hospital officials released a statement that reads in part:

"Our COVID admissions have been steadily increasing over the past month. The biggest increase we are seeing is in the influenza positivity rate. At this time we are not changing our masking or visitor policies."

The Detroit Medical Center implemented new visitor guidelines in December which are still current and include, "Visitors ages 12 and under, including siblings and other relatives, will not be allowed on inpatient hospital floors or in the observation units."

The University of Michigan Health has not changed any protocols yet, releasing this statement:

"University of Michigan Health continues to recommend masking. No changes have been made to our visiting policy at this time."

Doctors say as numbers continue to rise, while wait times in ER are also increasing.

"Because of the sheer amount of respiratory viruses, wait times in ERs are high, wait times on labs are high," Sims said.

So knowing when to avoid the ER is critical.

"If you’re feeling a little sick, but your are not really in distress, urgent care or your primary care doctor is probably the first place to go," Sims said.

Doctors say the best way to avoid getting sick is to use a face mask when appropriate and if you are eligible for the RSV, Covid or flu vaccine, consider gettng them.

"All three of the vaccines are available and unfortunately, underutilized," he said.