COLUMBUS – Health officials say Ohio should have an ample supply of vaccines needed to face the triple threat of COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, this fall.
Ohio and the rest of the U.S. has experienced a rise in COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks, but Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health, pointed out that the number of cases is historically low.
There were fewer than 3,000 new cases reported in the past two weeks, 87% fewer than during the same period in 2022, he said.
“COVID isn’t gone, and we really do need to prepare ourselves for the upcoming fall and winter respiratory season,” Vanderhoff said.
Vanderhoff urges Ohioans, especially those over 60, who have compromised immune systems or underlying health conditions, to get vaccines for the three viral infections.
The updated bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, which targets the XBB strain of the omicron variant of the coronavirus causing the recent rise in new cases, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and will be available this fall.
The CDC is also recommending a new vaccine for RSV for newborns and infants has been recommended by the CDC and Vanderhoff expects it to be added to the schedule of recommended childhood immunizations by mid-October.
Nationally, RSV is the leading cause of hospitalizations among infants up to one year of age, Vanderhoff said.