UNC Health Hospitals Imposes Temporary Visitor Limits as Flu Surge Intensifies

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New Visitor Restrictions Implemented at UNC Health Hospitals

UNC Health's Triangle-area hospitals are set to implement temporary visitor restrictions starting on Monday, January 5. These measures aim to curb the spread of respiratory illnesses during a time when such conditions typically surge. The new policies affect various inpatient areas and waiting rooms across several facilities.

Key Restrictions

The visitor restrictions include the following:

• Visitors 11 years old and younger will be prohibited from all hospital inpatient areas and waiting areas.
• Visitors older than 11 with respiratory symptoms will also be restricted from inpatient areas and waiting areas.
• All employees at designated inpatient locations will be required to wear a mask while providing care. Masks are not required, but strongly encouraged, for patients and visitors.

Dr. David Weber, from UNC Health, emphasized the importance of these measures. He stated, “We monitor the number of cases of flu we see, but also RSV, covid and all the other viral respiratory diseases like adenovirus and enteroviruses.”

Affected Facilities

The affected facilities include:

• UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill and Hillsborough
• UNC Health Rex in Raleigh and Holly Springs
• UNC Health Chatham in Siler City
• UNC Health Johnston in Clayton and Smithfield

These restrictions have been implemented in recent years during the cold weather months when respiratory illnesses tend to increase.

Broader Impact

Duke Health's visitor restrictions will go into effect on January 6, while WakeMed and Cape Fear Valley Health systems have already started restricting visitors. Dr. Weber explained that children are more infectious as they excrete higher amounts of virus and do not have a fully developed immune system. He added, “It's harder to tell when a toddler is sick who is unable to talk.”

Flu Shot Recommendations

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends annual flu shots for people 6 months and older. However, state data shows only 20% of people statewide got their flu shot this season. Dr. Weber compared the importance of flu shots to seatbelts, stating, “They clearly save lives.” He added, “The fact that the vaccine is not perfect doesn't mean we shouldn't take the vaccine because it still provides good protection in most cases. Particularly, it's better preventing serious disease than infection.”

Rising Cases and Concerns

The move comes as the state saw a significant jump in emergency room admissions from flu-like illnesses last week. Approximately 2,000 people had flu-like symptoms, according to data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. A total of 39 people have died from the flu so far this winter in North Carolina.