COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Flu hospitalizations are higher than usual and much worse than a year ago in Ohio, state health officials said.
According to the Ohio Department of Health, the state saw 92 flu-related hospitalizations during the week that ended Dec. 2 and has seen 257 hospitalizations overall since the flu season began.
Those numbers are above the five-year average for December and higher than last year, which saw 19 flu-related hospitalizations during the same week and 83 hospitalizations overall for the period.
The state and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say everyone 6 months and older should get a flu shot.
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Dr. Clint Koenig, the Health Department’s Medical Director, said pregnant women and infants are at high risk for serious flu complications.
Most flu seasons don’t really get going until around Christmas. That’s how last year’s flu season played out.
