The number of flu-related hospitalizations in Ohio jumped 11 percent to 317 in the second week of January, up from 287 confirmed hospitalizations in the first week of the year, according to the latest flu-activity report from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).
Ohio flu activity is now widespread across the state, and the number of flu-related hospitalizations have spiked to their highest level all season — nearly doubling in the first week of the year compared to the end of 2016, the ODH previously reported.
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Since ODH began tracking cases in October, there have been 967 flu-related hospitalizations in Ohio, compared to 215 through the second week of January last year — a 350 percent increase. Emergency room doctors across the state are also reporting large numbers of patients coming in with flu-like symptoms.
The rise in flu cases and hospitalizations for flu symptoms — which can include chills, fever, cough and body aces — is typical at this time of year, health officials said.
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