Thanks to Ed M.
Ed note: We are now in “virus season.” The UW has triggered a masking requirement because of the risk over the next three to four months. This requirement is triggered whenever any of the three most prominent viruses are above a given threshold. For us, it’s an individual decision but please protect yourself and your neighbors if you have compromised immunity or have any signs of a respiratory illness.
To the UW Medicine Community:
Starting Monday, Dec. 16, all UW Medicine personnel will be required to wear, at a minimum, a medical or surgical mask that covers the nose and mouth in all patient care areas. Respiratory virus transmission levels in King County are rising and we want to ensure we protect patients and each other.
- We recommend that all personnel wear the highest level of respiratory protection tolerated, for example, an N95 respirator.
- Patient care areas include, but are not limited to, patient-facing spaces within radiology, laboratory, therapy, surgical, procedural, emergency department, urgent care, ambulatory and inpatient units.
- Masking is strongly recommended but not required in nursing stations, hallways not in patient care areas, administrative and shared spaces, work rooms, cafeterias and breakrooms.
- All patients, visitors and families are strongly encouraged to wear a mask while in clinical spaces.
Our Methodology:
- We collaborate with healthcare system partners, public health agencies and the Northwest Healthcare Response Network to identify data that indicate the start of the respiratory virus season and a return to masking in patient care spaces.
- The most dependable metrics are emergency department diagnoses due to COVID-19, influenza and RSV. These data are collected from all emergency departments through a system called the Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-Based Epidemics (ESSENCE). Public Health — Seattle & King County posts these data weekly for each virus and reports alert thresholds that indicate a substantial risk for the specific virus in the community.
- When any one of these viruses is diagnosed at a rate above the alert threshold, we require healthcare worker masking. Last week, RSV exceeded this threshold and is expected to continue to rise.
The UW Medicine community can anticipate this masking requirement to end after all three of the respiratory viruses are below the threshold for two consecutive weeks. Given past respiratory virus seasons, masking is likely to be required until the end of March or the beginning of April.
Regardless of virus thresholds, routine masking while indoors continues to be strongly recommended in all UW Medicine facilities at all times. Read more about the UW Medicine Required Masking Policy (AMC login).
We appreciate your commitment to the safety of our patients, staff and community.
Sincerely,
UW Medicine Employee Health and Infection Prevention & Control Teams