Healthcare-associated respiratory viral infections after discontinuing universal masking.
Zachary M MostBethany PhillipsMichael E SebertPublished in: Infection control and hospital epidemiology (2023)
In November 2022, our pediatric hospital replaced the requirement for universal masking of all healthcare personnel and visitors in all clinical buildings with a requirement for masking only during patient encounters. Following this change, we observed an immediate, substantial, and sustained increase in healthcare-associated respiratory viral infections.