“Individual protections against the flu and COVID-19 are important regardless of whether the total number of cases are increasing or decreasing,” said Dan Suffoletto, Public Health - Dayton and Montgomery County spokesman.
Basic protections against respiratory illnesses include staying home when you are sick, staying up-to-date with the latest flu and COVID-19 vaccines, and washing your hands thoroughly and often, Suffoletto said, especially when eating or preparing food for others.
Related emergency department visits were 2.21% for fever and 12.90% for constitutional emergency department visits, declines of 20.22% and 12.36%, respectively, according to ODH.
| County | Flu-related hospitalizations this season | Percentage of all flu-related hospitalizations in the state | Rate per 100,000 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler | 61 | 3.0% | 0.52 |
| Champaign | 2 | 0.1% | 0.02 |
| Clark | 18 | 0.9% | 0.15 |
| Darke | 6 | 0.3% | 0.05 |
| Greene | 16 | 0.8% | 0.14 |
| Miami | 19 | 0.9% | 0.16 |
| Montgomery | 136 | 6.6% | 1.16 |
| Preble | 12 | 0.6% | 0.10 |
| Shelby | 6 | 0.3% | 0.05 |
| Warren | 31 | 1.5% | 0.26 |
| All of Ohio | 2,055 | 100% | 17.46 |
Nationally, 5.7% of outpatient visits were related to respiratory illnesses, which is down from 6.9% the previous week, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The cumulative flu-related hospitalization rate in the U.S. is 31.7 per 100,000 people. The most recent week also added 18,526 flu-related hospitalizations nationally, which is down from the previous week of 20,860.
Nationally, COVID test positivity was 12.7% in the most recent week, a slight decline of 0.1%, the CDC said.
“Hospitalizations from COVID doubled in Clark County from December to January and community transmission of both COVID and flu remains high,” said Nate Smith, communications coordinator for the Clark County Combined Health District. “It’s important for everyone to remain vigilant in protecting themselves and their friends and neighbors.”
In addition to staying home when sick and washing hands frequently, Smith suggested people consider wearing a mask in crowded places and maintaining social distancing.
Emergency department visits related to COVID were at 2.9% nationally in the most recently week, a decline of 13.1% over the previous week. Those admitted to the hospital for COVID increased by 3.2% and deaths related to COVID increased by 14.3%, according to the CDC.
“It is not too late to get the flu or COVID-19 vaccine, and you may receive both during a visit to your vaccine provider,” Suffoletto said.
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