CINCINNATI — Ohio is seeing a spike in respiratory illnesses just ahead of the holidays.
The Ohio Department of Health said in an update Monday that COVID-19, RSV and influenza cases are all on the rise across the state.
With holiday gatherings approaching, health experts say there are some things people can do to reduce the spread and keep their family healthy.
"The best tool you have to protect anybody from severe disease resulting in hospitalization and death is with a vaccine," said Dr. Joe Gastaldo, vice president of clinical affairs for Ohio Health Dublin Methodist Hospital and Ohio Health Grady Memorial Hospital.
Last week, there were more than 14,000 COVID cases reported in Ohio, with the Buckeye State averaging more than 450 COVID-19 hospitalizations a week. That’s compared to 600 a week at this time last year.
"We are grateful that our hospitals are not seeing the admission rates and the numbers of severe cases that challenged our health care delivery system in recent years," said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health.
Vanderhoff said as COVID cases continue to go up, the state will likely see more hospitalizations.
"What I do find concerning though, is the low number of Ohioans who have received the updated COVID vaccine that became available in September," Vanderhoff said.
Only about 9% of Ohioans have gotten the updated COVID shot.
Last month, Warren County also reported an outbreak of pediatric pneumonia cases. ODH provided an update on what caused that outbreak.
"As we have been in communication with health officials there, the outbreak appears to have been caused by a variety of common organisms including mycoplasma," Vanderhoff said. "We also are encouraged to hear that the number of new cases reported in Warren County has slowed recently."
Pneumonia isn't something new, but what doctors say has changed, is the ability to test for it.
"We have testing available," Gastaldo said. "In the past, when I thought about a patient who had mycoplasma pneumonia, we had to do a blood test and it would take days to get the blood tests back, and by that time, the patient was usually better."
Now, there are PCR tests available for pneumonia.
As many prepare to attend holiday gatherings in the coming weeks, Vanderhoff said his hope is "we don't let our guard down."
"Some of what we can do to stay healthy includes very basic steps, wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth when you cough," said Vanderhoff. "I'd also, though, ask you to be mindful of protecting others."
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