‘Tripledemic’ not as bad as feared, Ohio Department of Health says

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The dreaded “tripledemic” reported late last year turned out not to be quite as bad as experts were predicting.

Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the Head of the Ohio Department of Health, said the spike in cases of RSV, influenza and COVID-19 didn’t quite reach the crisis levels they feared.

Officials credit this to warnings from public health leaders about limiting close personal contact over the holidays.

However, the fight against those contagious diseases is not over, according to Dr. Vanderhoff.

“This is all encouraging news,” Dr. Vanderhoff said. “However, we need to recognize that none of these respiratory viruses have magically disappeared. Influenza and COVID-19 in particular are still infecting a lot of Ohioans.”

Vanderhoff warns that while there are still winter months ahead, many Ohioans still have yet to receive even their first vaccination shot.