RSV, influenza restrictions ending at SVMC

Children under age of 13 now allowed to visit all acute care units at hospital, starting Monday

All visitors will be able to visit Sierra View Medical Center without RSV and Influenza restrictions beginning Monday, April 23.

The local hospital has not seen recent cases for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) or Influenza and can now lift the restriction for children under the age of 13. The absence of these viruses in the area assures doctors and staff at Sierra View that allowing visitors under the age of 13 to once again visit any of SVMC’S acute care units, as well as the Distinct Part/skilled Nursing Facility, is not a risk to their health.

RSV is a common virus that causes cold symptoms in adults and children. Though most healthy adults and children will experience nothing more than an infection resembling a common cold, infants and children with pre-existing medical conditions can experience severe and potentially life-threatening complications from the virus.

Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the flu virus that infects the nose, throat, and lungs. Approximately 5-20 percent of U.S. residents get the flu each year.

Throughout the season, Sierra View Medical Center evaluated and treated an estimated 118 cases of RSV with 19 admissions and 230 flu cases with 19 admissions. Although this represents a fairly active season, visitor restrictions were put in place in an effort to prevent more serious cases of the virus from spreading in the San Joaquin Valley.

As a family-centered hospital, Sierra View Medical Center took necessary precautions to ensure the safety and wellbeing of visitors, such as young children, as well as the health of patients and community members throughout the season.

Sierra View Medical Center will no longer have visitor restrictions in place beginning Monday, April 23, to allow for entire families to once again visit their loved ones receiving treatment at the hospital.