Jan 4, 2022 3 min read

Allegheny Health Network is reinstating temporary restrictions on patient visitation due to the latest surge in COVID-19 cases in Western Pennsylvania.

“With the emergence of the highly infectious delta and omicron variants, COVID-19 is once again spreading rapidly throughout every community we serve and filling our hospital beds,” said Dr. Brian Parker, AHN’s Chief Quality and Learning Officer. “It is essential that we continue to take every measure that we can to protect our patients and caregivers from this virus, and we greatly appreciate the support and cooperation of our patients’ loved ones with those efforts, including limited visitation privileges at this time.”

Beginning immediately, AHN, which includes Canonsburg General Hospital, will allow just one inpatient visitor in its facilities per day during regular hospital visitation hours, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The visitor/support person cannot change throughout the day.

In Washington County, COVID-19 cases climbed to the highest point of the pandemic over New Year’s weekend, but no deaths were recorded over the three-day period from Dec. 31 to Jan. 2. The death toll remains at 514.

Hospitalizations remained high, with ICU beds at all Washington County hospitals more than 94% full.

According to the state Department of Health, 1,022 new cases were reported in Washington County over the three-day span, including 457 new cases on Dec. 31. In Fayette County, 306 new cases were recorded over New Year’s weekend. One additional COVID-19 death brought the total number to date to 539.

At AHN, clergy visitation is also permitted, in addition to the one support person.

Some exceptions to the temporary patient visitation policy may be made for those in certain areas or special circumstances, including: labor and delivery; neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU); pediatrics; end of life care; the Emergency Department; and patients who have an intellectual, developmental, cognitive, or physical disability, communication barrier, or behavioral concerns.

Visitors must be age 18 or older and must present a valid identification.

AHN will screen visitors for COVID-19 symptoms when they arrive, and visitors must wear masks.

The hospital is encouraging families and friends to connect with patients digitally, with FaceTime and Snapchat with loved ones during their stay at the network’s hospitals.

Parker also recommended more people get vaccinated to avoid additional COVID surges and to reduce the opportunity for variants to occur.

“The single most important thing that we can do to protect ourselves and our loved ones from COVID-19 is to be fully vaccinated,” said Parker, noting the vast majority of those getting sick and hospitalized are unvaccinated.

“Low vaccination rates are also contributing to the development of increasingly transmissible variants like delta and omicron and preventing us from bringing this pandemic to an end,” Parker said.

Also, as a result of the significant increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations, combined with record-breaking surgical volumes at AHN facilities, increasing patient transfer requests to AHN from non-affiliated hospitals, and the staffing shortages impacting the health care industry, AHN is “limiting our operating room cases that require an inpatient bed to those prioritized by a combination of clinical condition and surgical indication.”

Ambulatory surgical cases at AHN facilities are continuing as scheduled.

“We are committed to ensuring the safest clinical environment for our patients and caregivers, and this temporary scaling back of our surgical volumes will help us meet that high standard during this latest pandemic surge,” a hospital spokesperson said via email.