SEATTLE — It’s time, Washingtonians: You should resume regularly masking up indoors if you haven’t already.
The new guidance from 12 county health officers and 25 hospital executives is fueled by the region and country’s overwhelming 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, said the officials’ advisory, released Friday.
