WLWT: Hospital systems working through multiple viruses spiking
UC expert says this flu season could be the worst in more than a decade
Hospitals in the Cincinnati area are dealing with what some are calling a 'tripledemic' of RSV, COVID-19 and the flu. WLWT reported that according to the Health Collaborative, COVID-19 hospitalizations across Ohio counties in greater Cincinnati are at 176 patients. That's 41 more than Friday. About 180 people are hospitalized with the flu. It's a major spike from the week before. One of the experts cited by WLWT is Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UC College of Medicine.
Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UC College of Medicine/Photo/Joe Fuqua/UC Marketing + Brand
"Most of our hospitals have been running fairly close to capacity now anyway for quite some time," Fichtenbaum said."What this does with all of the viruses around is it just pushes all of our hospitals in the area to just be a little bit fuller. The emergency rooms are just a little bit more crowded," Fichtenbaum said.
While we work through these viruses, experts predict there may be more on the way.
"I suspect we'll see some more stuff because this is really the first full year that everybody's back in circulation not wearing masks and we're just sharing viruses," Fichtenbaum said.
Fichtenbaum says this is one of the most potent flu seasons since 2009. That's why he's urging people to roll up their sleeves and get the flu vaccine sooner rather than later.
Next Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is classified as a Research 1 institution by the Carnegie Commission and is ranked in the National Science Foundation's Top-35 public research universities. UC's graduate students and faculty investigate problems and innovate solutions with real-world impact. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
Love it or raze it?
February 20, 2026
An architectural magazine covered the demolition of UC's Crosley Tower.
Social media linked to student loneliness
February 20, 2026
Inside Higher Education highlighted a new study by the University of Cincinnati that found that college students across the country who spent more time on social media reported feeling more loneliness.
Before the medals: The science behind training for freezing mountain air
February 19, 2026
From freezing temperatures to thin mountain air, University of Cincinnati exercise physiologist Christopher Kotarsky, PhD, explained how cold and altitude impact Olympic performance in a recent WLWT-TV/Ch. 5 news report.