“For us, it’s calmed down a little bit. It was a lot higher around Christmas time,” said Dr. Mark Williams, a family doctor at Premier Health Primary Care - Beavercreek.
The latest ODH flu report shows 639 flu-related hospitalizations statewide, up slightly from 625 hospitalizations in the previous week. That was up from 294 hospitalizations in the week ending Dec. 28.
Locally, Montgomery County is up to 123 flu-related hospitalizations, accounting for 6.3% of flu hospitalizations in Ohio. Butler County has had 44 flu-related hospitalizations, and Clark County has had 19. There have been a total of 1,965 hospitalizations in Ohio this flu season.
Statewide, outpatient visits for flu-like symptoms have gone down by 17.1% in the latest flu report, which accounts for about 5.1% of all outpatient visits. Emergency department visits for fevers and flu-like symptoms decreased by 22.3% in Ohio.
Nationally, 5.4% of visits to a health care provider were for respiratory illness, which is a downward trend, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Deaths due to the flu accounted for 1.5% of deaths in the U.S., which is up, the CDC says. There were 11 influenza-associated deaths of children occurring the most recent week for a total of 27 pediatric deaths this season. None of those have been in Ohio.
There is still flu spreading, as well as COVID-19 and norovirus, Williams said.
Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC. About 50% of all outbreaks of food-related illness are caused by norovirus. Illnesses are typically short, with the worst symptoms lasting a few days, but people can still spread the virus for around two weeks after getting it.
Norovirus has increased nationally, Williams said, but he has not see many local cases.
Besides getting a flu vaccination, handwashing and regular hygiene practices are some of the main ways to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses. Williams recommends using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer on a regular basis.
“People who are at high risk for complications from these viruses ― people who have heart disease or lung disease or diabetes ― they may want to consider wearing a mask, a surgical mask, in public because that definitely does decrease your risk of transmission of these viral upper respiratory tract infections," Williams said.
It’s still not too late to get a flu vaccine or to get a COVID-19 shot. To find a vaccination location, visit vaccines.gov.
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