COLUMBUS, OH (WLIO) - The spring months signal the end of flu season, and Ohio numbers have started to go down as temperatures continue to rise.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reduced Ohio's flu activity status from very high to high as case numbers continue to drop. The Ohio Health Department says flu-related hospitalizations and outpatient visits have dropped by around 24% this past week. But with the Easter holiday this weekend, health officials are reminding people that if you don't feel well, stay home.
"Here in Ohio, we still have to be very mindful of when we have upper respiratory illness symptoms, cold symptoms, cough, etc.," says Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, Dir. Ohio Department of Health. "When that happens, we are strongly recommending that people take a really a common-sense approach. Stay home and away from others, and don't reengage with folks until your symptoms have been getting better for a full 24 hours, and if you had a fever, the fever has been gone also for 24 hours."
Vanderhoff says the statewide COVID numbers also dropped 40% last week, compared to two weeks before. But he reminds people that COVID-19 can experience peaks at any time of year and to get the latest vaccine to prevent severe reactions to the virus.
