Triad Hospitals just lifted their restriction regarding the allowed visitors in the area. Two months ago, they implemented that children under the age of 12 are not allowed to enter the hospitals due to the increasing number of flu cases.
The flu cases started to decline, hence, the restriction is being lifted. The hospitals included were Cone Health, Forest Baptist Medical Center, High Point Regional and Novant Health. Reports said these hospitals will end their restrictions on Tuesday at 7 a.m., Triad Business Journal revealed.
They implemented the restrictions last February in an attempt to control the spread of the virus. They did not allow children under the age of 12 to be in the said health care areas due to the high possibility that they will contract the virus. There was an exception, however, as children under below 12 could still visit the Triad hospitals if they themselves contracted the flu.
Dr. David Priest, the medical director for infection prevention at Novant Health, said the visitor restrictions were necessary to protect their most vulnerable hospitalized patients. He added, "But now as we see the number of influenza cases continued to decline we are happy to welcome back visitors of all ages into our facilities."
Most of the targets of flu are the elderly or children under the age of five. Pregnant women and people with medical conditions are also vulnerable to get the flu, Winston-Salem Journal reports. The Triad hospitals did not impose the restriction on elderlies.
Meanwhile, flu symptoms include a cough, fever, possible sore throat, stuffy or a runny nose, headaches, body aches, chills, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, or vomiting, Web MD shared. Medical News Today added that antibiotics cannot be used to treat flu and experts said the best way to prevent one from contracting such is to get vaccinated annually.
Those who have flu should stay at home, avoid contact with other people, keep warm, rest and consume fluids. They should also avoid alcohol and stop smoking.
