The number of Ohioans being hospitalized due to influenza has leveled off over the past week. That’s the word from the state health department.
"We have 586 new flu associated hospitalizations this week. That's very similar to the 584 that were reported last week," said department spokeswoman Tess Pollock. "It's too early, however, to say if the peak has passed or if it's a temporary plateau, so we'll just continue to monitor the flu activity throughout Ohio."
The respiratory flu has hit Ohio a lot earlier and harder this year, compared to last. Week number three of winter's flu season, Ohio has 117 times as many hospitalizations as the same week last winter.