CLEVELAND, Ohio — The number of flu-related deaths this season, which is considered to be at its peak, has risen by two to 16 in Cuyahoga County.
The deaths of a 33-year-old East Cleveland woman and a 79-year-old Lakewood woman were reported during the week ending Feb. 22, health officials said Friday. No further information on the people was released, due to federal privacy laws covering health information.
Weekly flu surveillance reports for Cuyahoga County.
The current flu season in Cuyahoga County is more severe than last year, with nearly double the number of deaths and flu-related hospitalizations.
Last year, there were nine deaths and 667 flu-related hospitalizations by this date. Those numbers are much lower than the 1,496 hospitalizations for current flu cases reported so far, according to data compiled by the Cuyahoga County Health Department.
"The (hospitalization) numbers are twice as high as last year at this point,” said Richard Stacklin, data analyst for the Cuyahoga County Health Department.
The fact that influenza strains A and B both hit hard this season might be the reason for more deaths and hospitalizations, Stacklin said. Strain A and B are both in circulation now, leading to elevated flu activity for the past few weeks, Stacklin said.
“Flu is hitting a lot of people, whether they are elderly or younger,” Stacklin said.
But relief might be around the corner. The flu season is at its peak now, said Dr. Ajay Kumar, an internal medicine physician at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center. The flu season traditionally peaks between January and March, so this season’s peak is right on schedule, Kumar said.
The novel coronavirus, called COVID-19, outbreak is prompting more people to see a doctor when they feel ill, Kumar said, based on what he sees at the St. Vincent clinics where he works. Many of those people test positive for flu, which he thinks is raising the number of flu-related medical visits this season.
Emergency room visits are above the five-year median in Cuyahoga County, according to health department statistics.
“People are being very careful,” Kumar said.
While worries about COVID-19 are growing as countries across the globe report new cases, the flu is a greater concern in Ohio, Stacklin said. He pointed out that while influenza has killed 16 Ohioans this winter, there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ohio as of Thursday afternoon.
“Flu is on our front doorstep,” Stacklin said.
There is still time to get a flu vaccine before the season ends this spring.
The flu vaccine is available at many drugstores, retail stores, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and doctors’ offices. There are no vaccine shortages in Ohio. The cost is $10 and up, depending on insurance. Here is a vaccine finder.
Call the Cleveland Department of Public Health flu hotline at (216) 664-4621 to find out about the department’s flu vaccination schedule.
Additional flu coverage:
Two more flu-related deaths raise total to 8 in Cuyahoga County this season
Flu season hitting children, young adults, Cleveland and Cuyahoga County health officials say
Death of Lake County 11-year-old is the second flu-related pediatric death in Ohio
Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital sees rise in cases of respiratory illness RSV