COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Central Ohio leads the state for people hospitalized for respiratory illnesses, with doctors saying the hospitalizations are mostly due to the flu as emergency rooms fill with patients.
Flu activity is rapidly rising in the region, and experts say people need to protect themselves from illness. This comes just after the Ohio Department of Health announced the first pediatric death from the 2025-2026 flu season on Wednesday.
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OhioHealth emergency department supervisor Dr. Garrett Bassett has seen hospitalizations in small children, elderly adults and middle-aged adults with pre-existing conditions. Bassett said patients are coming in very sick as opposed to last year, when most could manage symptoms from home.
“Over the last week, our volumes have been about 20% over what we would have expected, and much of that is influenza,” Bassett said. “What I’m seeing patients are sick and many times requiring oxygen and support to help keep them along till their bodies can get over the illness, so they end up staying in the hospital for several days.”…