WASHINGTON — QUESTION:
A meme spreading on Facebook claims that children who must be hospitalized for COVID-19, are not allowed to have parents go with them. Is this meme accurate?
ANSWER:
No. Hospitals our researchers spoke with confirmed pediatric patients are allowed at least one parent or guardian.
SOURCES:
Tracy Connell- Inova Children's Hospital- spokesperson
Maryanne Boster- Virginia Hospital Center- director of corporate communications
Jamel Langley- Children's National Hospital- senior media relations specialist
Tina Bergeron Sheesley- Adventist HealthCare- director of public relations & marketing
Kristin Feliciano- Holy Cross Health- chief strategy officer
Marianne Worley- MedStar Health- spokesperson
American Hospital Association- spokesperson
PROCESS:
A meme circulating on Facebook claims that children who must be hospitalized for COVID-19, will be barred from having parents by their bedside.
It reads: "the biggest wakeup call ever, if your child gets the virus they’re going to the hospital alone in a van with people they don’t know, to a room they don’t know to be with people they don’t know, you will be without them in their time of need. Think about it stay in.”
So we're Verifying: if a child is hospitalized for COVID-19, are parents banned from seeing them?
First off, always be skeptical of a warning that preys on fear and offers little to no context.
We can tell you right off the bat, this one is nonsense.
Our Verify researchers contacted half-a-dozen area hospitals, including Children’s National Hospital, MedStar Health, Adventist HealthCare, Holy Cross Hospital, Virginia Hospital Center and Inova Children’s Hospital.
They all confirm if a child is hospitalized for COVID-19, of course, a parent can come.
Whether that’s one parent, both, or if visitors are screened for symptoms like a fever or cough – that’s up to each hospital.
We also checked with the American Hospital Association. A spokesperson sent us this statement:
"The American Hospital Association does not have nationwide data on companion policies but to the best of our knowledge, hospitals are allowing one parent to be with a child during hospitalization, or assessing on a case-by-case basis the safest option that protects patients, and others in the hospital setting.”
So we can Verify this meme is false.