Mount Nittany Health Requiring Masks for Employees Amid COVID Spike

Mount Nittany Health is requiring employees to wear masks while working with patients as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise locally and nationally.

For the next two weeks, “all physicians, clinicians, employees, volunteers, students and vendors are required to wear masks while engaging with patients,” according to a news release from the Centre County-based health care system on Thursday.

The policy, which was prompted by “an observed increase in COVID-19 cases within the community and our healthcare system,” is in effect through 7 a.m. on Sept. 29.

Local hospitalizations of patients with COVID-19 are far from the peak in the winters of 2020-21 and 2021-22, but are nevertheless seeing an uptick, according to the most recent Centers for Disease Control data. Centre County had 10 new hospital admissions of patients with COVID-19 the week ending Sept. 2, up from four the previous week, and about 1% of hospital beds occupied by COVID patients.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health no longer reports statewide COVID cases and hospitalizations, and Mount Nittany stopped providing weekly updates on local COVID hospitalizations.

Nationwide, COVID-19 hospitalizations increased by 9% last week, the lowest increase in the last three months. Though hospitalizations have been on the rise, new admissions across the country are about half as the same time last year and 20% of those in 2021.

Locally, Mount Nittany says it “will continue to monitor the situation” and make changes to the masking policy as appropriate.

“If patients or visitors have symptoms of COVID-19 or respiratory illness, Mount Nittany Health asks that they please take the appropriate precautions and kindly mask in Mount Nittany Health facilities,” according to the news release.