Rush hospitals requiring masks again amid rise in COVID-19 cases
CHICAGO (CBS) -- All three Rush hospitals in Illinois are now requiring face masks in their facilities amid a rise in COVID-19 cases.
Rush University Medical Center on the Near West Side, Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora, and Rush Oak Park Hospital are requiring patients, visitors, and staff to wear hospital-approved masks in many areas of the campuses – including awaiting rooms and patient registration areas.
Rush is also adjusting visiting hours and the number of visitors permitted.
COVID-19 hospitalizations are also on the rise, with experts saying they are at the highest level since February of last year.
Doctors are also seeing more cases of the flu and RSV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says holiday gatherings and low vaccination rates are major factors in the spike.
Fewer than 50 percent of adults got vaccines for the flu this season, and the rate is even lower for COVID.