WINCHESTER, VA- There are new visitation procedures in place at Valley Health Hospitals, and it's all in an effort to stop the spread of the flu.

"It really rose a lot in the first week in January," says Dr. Nicolas Restrep, Vice-President of Medical Affairs at the Winchester Medical Center. "We saw a significant increase and that was what triggered our decision to go ahead and limit visitation hours at Winchester Medical Center and all the Valley Health hospitals."

Visitation has been restricted to only two time frames throughout the day; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Each room can only have two visitors at a time, and each visitor must be at least 18 years old. Hospital entrances have also been limited for visitors.

"We have two different entrances that are designated areas where we're trying to traffic visitors to," Restrepo says. "In these two areas, there's a procedure where you check-in for what room you're going to."

Visitors at the Winchester Medical Center are asked to sign in and get a name badge before going up to see their loved ones. The staff is also providing hand sanitizer and a mask, if they want to protect themselves from the flu.

The hospital staff is asking people to stay at home if they feel sick.

"One of the issues is that you're contagious before you really become symptomatic," Restrepo says. "So, you may not know that tomorrow, you're going to be worse and today you may be contagious," he adds. "So, in the best interest of your family member or your loved one, please at this point , visit  by telephone. Visit by email. Restrict visitation to the hospital."

Patients at the Winchester Medical Center can access their personal email from their bedside, using the TV in their hospital room.

The hospital has seen so many flu patients since December, and the emergency room has had to serve as a back-up space.

"I think one day we had 115 percent hospital-wide occupancy," says Desiree Brunell, the Director of the Emergency Department at the Winchester Medical Center. "That means inpatients back up into the emergency department and we end up boarding them. We've had as many as 40 patients boarding in the emergency department while we're still trying to take care of emergency room patients, which have been at a higher number due to the flu as well."

Although some reports say this year's influenza is resisting the vaccine, the local health department says, in fact, it is working as expected with the current strain.

"In the past, we thought in general that flu vaccination may be as much as 90-percent effective," says Dr. Charles Devine, the Lord Fairfax District Health Director for the Virginia Department of Health. "It looks like that probably was an optimistic estimate. The vaccine appears to be closer to 60 to 70 percent effective. But, it is important to remember that the vaccine is safe and vaccination remains the single best tool that we have to prevent influenza."

The visitation restrictions started Sunday at all Valley Health hospitals, including War Memorial Hospital. Hospital officials expect the restrictions to last through the end of the flu season.