Did you know?

• Immunocompromised, disabled, and chronically ill patients have been left behind by the end of mask policies in healthcare settings
• 4 in 10 patients with undetected COVID transmit COVID to their hospital roommate(s)
• Hospital-acquired COVID has a 5–10% mortality rate
• Many prominent infectious disease experts support universal masking in healthcare, including Kalu et al. 2023, Palmore and Henderson 2023, and Chow et al. 2023
• Over 50% of COVID transmission happens before patients develop symptoms
• Half of health workers go to work with COVID symptoms
• Researchers have found that during Jan.–March 2024, when Mass General Brigham required masking for healthcare workers, but not patients, hospital-onset respiratory viral infections declined by 33% (Pak et al., 2024).
• Some Massachusetts hospitals have brought back “targeted,” but not universal, masking policies for the 2024–-25 respiratory virus season. Hospitals and networks with new masking policies include Mass General Brigham, Tufts, and Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
• In October 2024, Seattle-area hospitals released a new consensus statement on universal masking in healthcare, and some have implemented new masking protocols following increases in respiratory virus cases.
• Leaders in multiple California counties and New Jersey’s largest healthcare network have also changed masking policies this winter. For instance, in Alameda County, the health officer has mandated that all staff, volunteers, contractors, and emergency responders mask in acute care hospitals, long-term care facilities, and certain other regulated healthcare facilities from November 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025, whether or not their job is direct patient care.