WA public health leaders again urge masking indoors amid ‘tripledemic’

It’s time, Washingtonians: You should resume regularly wearing a mask indoors, if you haven’t already.

The new guidance from 12 county health officers and 25 health care leaders is fueled by the region and country’s surge in viral respiratory illnesses — mainly influenza and RSV, though COVID-19 numbers are beginning to creep back up. Pediatric hospitals in particular, including Seattle Children’s, have been overcapacity for months with the highest patient volumes many longtime staffers say they’ve ever seen.

The flu is expected to continue circulating for months, according to the officials’ advisory released Friday.

“As health officers and health care leaders working to improve the health of Washington residents, we recommend that everyone wear a high-quality, well-fitting mask when around others in indoor spaces to protect against both acquiring and spreading these infections to others,” according to the advisory.

The signees include King County’s public health officer Dr. Jeff Duchin; Dr. James Lewis of Snohomish Health District; Dr. Anthony L-T Chen of Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department; and health officers from Thurston, Clallam, Jefferson, Whatcom, San Juan, Clark, Pacific, Skamania, Kittitas and Kitsap counties.

Hospital executives and state leaders from UW Medicine, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, MultiCare Health System, Kaiser Permanente Washington, Seattle Children’s, Providence Swedish and the Washington State Hospital Association also signed the recommendation.

Earlier this week, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encouraged everyone to return to familiar masking routines, especially on public transit and during airport travel, as COVID, the flu and RSV converge in a “tripledemic.”

Few jurisdictions nationwide appear to be actively reconsidering mask mandates, though Los Angeles County health officials said this week a new order could be implemented in January if hospitalizations worsen, according to The Los Angeles Times. Many local health officials, including those in Oregon, Colorado, New York and Massachusetts, have started to strongly recommend people wear masks inside, however.

In Washington, flu deaths continue to tick up. As of Friday, 26 residents had died from influenza, including three children.

The flu is generally most dangerous for kids under 5 years old — especially those under 2 — and adults over age 65, those who are pregnant and anyone living with another health condition, including asthma, diabetes or heart disease, according to the advisory.

COVID cases and hospitalizations, which had been trending lower for months, are also showing signs of increasing again, according to state data. Since the start of November, the state has jumped from about 42 to roughly 64 COVID hospitalizations per day.

Because emergency rooms are so packed with patients, doctors recommend instead going to an urgent care clinic if you have non-life-threatening injuries or illnesses, including coughing, wheezing, sore throat, mild dehydration or fever. If you’re experiencing difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, severe dehydration or other urgent symptoms, doctors still recommend the ER.

It’s important to use multiple layers of illness protection this season, health officers and hospital leaders said. In addition to getting vaccinated against the flu and COVID, Washingtonians should also stay home from work and school when sick, have a plan for rapid COVID and flu treatment for those at increased risk of severe illness, and improve indoor air quality, the advisory said.

“This joint statement from a broad coalition of public health and health care professionals is an indication of our shared level of concern,” Duchin, King County’s public health officer, said in a separate statement. “There are simple, effective steps that can and should be taken communitywide to reduce serious illnesses and health care system impacts during this respiratory virus season.”

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