New York state has dropped the mask mandate for health care settings but many hospitals continue to implement the rule.

In Western New York, that includes Kaleida, Catholic Health, ECMC and Niagara Falls Memorial Hospital.

According to Dr. Thomas Russo, professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine, COVID-19 remains the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. behind heart disease and cancer.

Now that the state mandate for mask-wearing has been dropped, many hospitals are shifting to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that recommends continuing to utilize them in high-risk zones.

“At this time, I think mask use is appropriate,” said Russo. “People that are in hospitals are particularly vulnerable if they acquire COVID. And likewise, we’ve had staff challenges throughout this pandemic and if a lot of COVID is going around we want to minimize the likelihood of our staff getting infected.”

Russo said once the risk of transmission lowers, hospitals can assess their need for masks on a case by case basis.