MASON CITY, Iowa - With the rampant influenza outbreak across the area and the country this winter, local hospitals and medical facilities are stepping up their efforts to keep their patients and residents healthy.
In addition to Mercy Medical-North Iowa’s announcement of initiating Level 3 visitation procedures, the IOOF home in Mason City is doing their part to keep the virus out.
IOOF has a strict protocol in place: flu shots are given to residents and employees at the beginning of flu season in October. If an employee refuses the shot, they are required to wear a mask at all times, and if they are sick, they must stay away from the building. Because of these strict rules, IOOF has not had a single case of the flu last year and this year.
Ila Fish, a resident of the home, got her flu shot this season, and says she doesn’t regret it.
“Some don’t want a flu shot, and they do get the flu and they get terribly sick. And they’re sorry that they didn’t get the shot,” Fish says.
According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, 14 people in the state have died due to the flu since October 2017.