CHARLOTTE — Carolinas HealthCare System- Anson in Wadesboro has become one of several hospitals restricting visitors due to the flu.
Carolinas HealthCare implemented the restriction beginning at 7 a.m. Friday, Feb. 24. Visitors age 12 and under will not be allowed to visit hospital patients at any of Carolinas HealthCare’s hospitals in the Charlotte area. Visitors of any age who have possible flu symptoms are also asked to avoid the hospital except in special circumstances, and the visitors will be asked to wear a surgical mask.
“Most people with the flu have mild illness and do not need medical care,” the hospital system said in a release. “If you have flu symptoms, in most cases you should stay home and avoid contact with other people. Flu sufferers should rest, drink fluids and take ibuprofen and acetaminophen to reduce minor pain or fever.”
If symptoms are severe enough to require a visit to a healthcare provider, the hospital system suggests a visit to a physician’s office or urgent care center may be the best option to minimize wait times in emergency rooms, adding, “Emergency rooms should only be used for people who are very sick such as those with difficulty breathing, chest pain, confusion, severe vomiting or signs of dehydration.”
Wait times for the system’s facilities can be found at www.carolinashealthcare.org/wait-times.
Novant Health, Cone Health and Wake Forest Baptist Center have added similar restrictions “at the same date and time to prevent confusion among the public and avoid a patchwork of varying restriction,” according to the release. “This unified response helps better control the spread of flu throughout the region.”