CLEVELAND — As Northeast Ohio and the rest of the world come to grips with a new normal amid the coronavirus pandemic, a brutal flu season continues to hammer the region as well.
Cuyahoga County reported four new flu deaths this week, including an 11-year-old girl. The remaining fatalities were all men between the ages of 62 and 91, and 23 county residents have now died from the flu since October.
Despite the fatalities, flu activity in the county was reduced to "moderate," and the death toll from flu and pneumonia is still slightly below what has been normal during the last five years. However, the total number of flu hospitalizations this season (more than 1,800) is still above normal, and the percentage of total flu-like patients going to the emergency room is up even higher.
The county will give more updates on the situation during its coronavirus briefing on Monday. Health experts believe coronavirus is roughly 10 times as lethal as the common flu.