Doctors credit COVID-19 precautions for dramatic decrease in

Doctors credit COVID-19 precautions for dramatic decrease in flu cases
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Updated: 8:39 PM EST Jan 13, 2021
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Updated: 8:39 PM EST Jan 13, 2021
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WEEK IN OHIO. WE’VE ONLY SEEN 50, FOR THE ENTIRE FLU SEASON. THE FLU NUMBERS THIS SEASON ARE STAGGERING FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASON THIS YEAR WE HAVE SEEN A DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE IN WHAT WE ARE TYPICALLY SEEING. NORMALLY WE START TO SEE MANY CASES BUT FOR EXAMPLE AT UC HEALTH WE’VE HAD ONE. MOLLIE: DOCTORS SAY JANUARY IS USUALLY WHEN FLU SEASON TAKES OFF FOLLOWING HOLIDAY TRAVEL. BUT NOT THIS YEA HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE FLAT. THEY CREDIT FACE MASKS, HAND WASHING AND SOCIAL DISTANCIN IF YOU BLOCK THE TRANSMISSION THEN YOU DON’T HAVE THE CASES. MOLLIE: BUT IF THE FLU IS N SPREADING, WHY IS COVID-19 COVID ON THE OTHER HAND IS MUCH CLOSER TO MEASLES AND SO WE’RE SEEING REALLY EFFICIENT TRANSMISSION AND THAT OCCURS BOTH AIRBORNE AND DROPLE TRANSMISSION. MOLLIE: THE MILD FLU SEASON I WELCOME RELIEF FOR AN ALREADY STRESSED HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. DR. STEVE FEAGINS WITH HAMILTON COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH SAYS 30% INPATIENTS RIGHT NOW ARE COVID POSITIVE. OUR HOSPITALS ARE PRETTY OVERRUN AND FULL ALL THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY. WE DON’T NEED ANOTHER EPIDEMIC LOCALLY THAT WILL TIP THE SCALES AND MAKE IT HARDER FOR US TO CARE FOR PEOPL MOLLIE: WHILE THE WAR AGAINST COVID-19 WAGES ON. LOCAL HEALTH LEADERS SAY THEY’RE THANKFUL THE FLU IS SO FAR NOT COMPOUNDING AN ALREADY OVERWHELMING PANDEMI MY GOSH BOY IF WE WEREN’T DOING THESE THINGS JUST IMAGINE WHAT WE WOULD BE SEEIN MOLLIE: WHILE FLU NUMBERS ARE WAY DOWN ONE NUMBER HAS GROWN EXPONENTIALLY. THE RATE OF PEOPLE DYING WITH A COMBINATION OF PNEUMONIA AND FLU. IN HAMILTON COUNTY IT’ TYPICALLY AROUND 1 TO 2% THIS YEAR IT’S CLOSE TO 14%. DOCTORS SAY THAT IS DUE TO COVID-RELATED PNEUMO