PEORIA, Ill. — With an uptick in positive flu cases, local hospitals ask to limit visits.
Sara Sparkman, spokesperson for the Tazewell County Health Department, said that the Peoria and Tazewell County Health Departments and hospitals track the number of positive flu cases weekly.
“We’ve seen a significant increase in the last two weeks. So, we worked with our hospitals and we thought it would be a good time to implement our voluntary visitor restrictions,” Sparkman said.
The restriction put in place for the best interest for the health of patients who are in the hospitals.
Sparkman said if you are not feeling well or have a fever, do not come to visit someone who is at the hospital.
“Because the people there need to be as healthy as possible,” Sparkman said. “Introducing new germs is not a good thing. ”
If visitors do come to the hospital, Sparkman said visitors should at least be 18 years of age.
“Children a lot of times aren’t as able to communicate that they are not feeling well or that they have some sort of illness,” Sparkman said. “Children have a little of a higher risk for the viral infections, and we’re trying to make sure they are as healthy as possible.”
It is also being requested that when entering and leaving a patient’s room, that everyone should wash their hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based gel or foam.
Getting the flu shot is another request.
“We encourage everyone to get their flu shot. It takes two weeks for the flu shot to be effective,” Sparkman said.
The hospitals also ask for people to not sneeze or cough into their hands, but rather their arm shoulder, or tissue to reduce
the spread of germs.
The hospitals that are implementing voluntary visitor restrictions include:
-OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center
-UnityPoint Health’s Methodist
-Proctor
-Pekin campuses
-Hopedale Medical Complex
-Kindred Hospital
