Sauk Valley hospitals continue to enforce visitor restrictions

DIXON – Sauk Valley-area hospitals are continuing with visitor restrictions put in place earlier this month, when the number of respiratory illness cases began to increase.

Local hospitals, including KSB in Dixon and Morrison Community Hospital in Morrison, continue to limit the number of patient visitors to two at a time and mandate that no one younger than 18 may visit patients in their facilities.

Morrison hospital officials asked visitors with any respiratory symptoms to visit at a later time or to wear a mask and urged visitors to continue with frequent and proper hand hygiene.

KSB health officials stressed that people of any age should not visit if they have a fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches or chills.

With seasonal viruses on the uptick for the past several weeks across the state, the Illinois Department of Public Health reminded the public to take precautions to protect the health of friends and family who are vulnerable to severe illness.

The IDPH launched a new awareness campaign this fall called ”Tis the Sneezin” to remind Illinoisans that vaccinations provide the best protection against the triple threat of COVID-19, influenza and RSV.

According to a news release from the IDPH, holiday hosts are urged to enhance the safety of guests by providing proper indoor ventilation, encouraging good hand hygiene and reminding guests to cover coughs and sneezes.

If someone has symptoms of a respiratory virus – such as coughing, sneezing, a sore throat, a runny nose or fever – it’s best to get tested and wear a mask around others so as not to spread illness.

The updated COVID-19 shots are effective against the currently dominant COVID-19 variants and are recommended for all people 6 months and older.

People with an egg allergy now can get any flu vaccine (egg-based or non-egg-based) that is otherwise appropriate for their age and health status and do not need to limit themselves to non-egg-based shots alone, according to the release.

Those older than 65 should receive any one of the higher dose or “adjuvanted” influenza shots.

The RSV shots now are available for those older than 60 and women who are pregnant. Older adults with risk factors for RSV should talk to their provider about which shot is right for them.

To help keep the public informed about conditions around the state, the IDPH recently launched an Infectious Respiratory Disease Surveillance Dashboard updated weekly on Fridays. This report provides the latest data on hospital visits, seasonal trends, lab test positivity and demographic data.

Tracking data at the county level can be done through a new national respiratory virus dashboard launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this fall that allows the public to view weekly updates on the levels of COVID-19, flu and RSV.

The federal government recently announced that every household in the U.S. is eligible to receive four free at-home tests through the COVID.gov website.

For those who are uninsured or underinsured, the CDC this summer launched the Bridge Access Program that will cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccines.

The Vaccines for Children Program will cover vaccines for eligible children.

For treating COVID-19, Illinoisans who experience symptoms can access no cost-share telehealth services through the SIU School of Medicine Covid Test to Treat services or call 217-545-5100. An additional option is the NIH Test to Treat line or call 1-800-682-2829 to get access to no-cost care.

The federal government has established a website that provides an all-purpose toolkit with information on how to obtain masks, treatment, vaccines and testing resources for all areas of the country at www.covid.gov.

U.S health officials have said flu and COVID-19 infections are expected to ramp up in the coming weeks, with increases fueled by holiday gatherings, too many unvaccinated people and a new version of the coronavirus that may be spreading more easily, The Associated Press reported.

Health officials are keeping an eye on a version of the ever-evolving coronavirus, known as JN.1. The omicron variant was first detected in the U.S. in September and now accounts for an estimated 20% of cases.

The CDC expects it to reach 50% in the next two weeks.

It may spread easier or be better at evading immune systems, but there is no evidence that the strain causes more severe disease than other recent variants, health officials said.

Current evidence indicates vaccines and antiviral medications work against it.

As for flu, early signs suggest current vaccines are well-matched to the strain that is causing the most illnesses, and that strain usually doesn’t cause as many deaths and hospitalizations as some other versions.

But the bad news is vaccinations are down this year, officials said. About 42% of U.S. adults had gotten flu shots by the first week of December, only about 18% have gotten an updated COVID-19 shot that became available in September, and only 17% of adults 60 and older had received new shots against another respiratory virus, The AP reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.