CLEVELAND — The flu is hitting Northeast Ohio hard.
"I've seen it a lot in friends and their small children [and] myself, obviously," Holly Mueller, from Rocky River, says. "I own a business. My employees have all had it."
Mueller isn't alone: The CDC now lists Ohio as "very high" for flu activity after receiving data from last week.
"We're one of the highest regions in the state," Dr. Claudia Hoyen, pediatric infectious disease specialist at UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, told 3News.
Indeed, Northeast Ohio had 98 flu hospitalizations last week, according to the Ohio Department of Health. For the flu season so far, Cuyahoga County leads with the most hospitalizations at 648, compared to the second highest in Franklin County (Columbus) at 435.
"There's a lot of stuff circulating right now," Hoyen said. "But what we're seeing with the flu in particular is the fact that [the] Flu A [strain] has kind of plateaued, but now were coming to the peak of Flu B."
Hoyen indicated that the plateau is unusual, with each strain of the flu typically peaking then coming right back down. She says the mild winter could play a factor, with less bitter cold days leading to more people out and about.
"I do get a little bit more cautious," Serena Thomas, of Cleveland, noted. "Just making sure I'm being a little bit extra clean during this time of year, protecting myself and those around me."
Hoyen predicts there are about four to six weeks left in flu season, since the Flu B strain hasn't peaked yet. She added it's not too late to get a flu shot, and is encouraging people to do so.
"Until we're at the end of the season, we encourage it, because we just know that they add protection," she said. "We know the other thing about the flu shot is that it will decrease the spread So if you get the flu shot, even if you get the flu, you're not gong to spread as much as you would, and also it really decreases the hospitalizations."
"It's interesting, because we do so much work from home," Mueller said of the spike in cases among her staff. "So I don't know where people are actually picking it up."
Hoyen also encourages people to stay home if they're not feeling well or to wear a mask in public.
"If you're still having symptoms, we know that from COVID masks work," she explained. "If you're wearing a mask, it'll keep your germs to you."