Hamilton County recorded seven or eight flu hospitalizations and several ICU admissions in the week before Oct. 20. A Christ Hospital infectious disease specialist says the season could peak months ahead of schedule.

Dr. Thomas Lamarre, medical director of infectious diseases for The Christ Hospital Health Network, told WLWT that flu test positivity rates at the hospital are six times as high as what doctors see in early October. More than 150 people were hospitalized statewide in the two weeks before Oct. 20, he said.

Flu arrived early this year.

Peak flu season normally hits in January or February. Lamarre said this year it could arrive as early as November, which is why experts are urging residents to get vaccinated before Halloween. The shot takes about two weeks to build protection, according to Lamarre and Dr. Stephen Feagins, medical director at Hamilton County Public Health.

Anderson Township, Mariemont and Terrace Park residents all fall under Hamilton County Public Health's jurisdiction and face the same early-season risk.

Updated vaccine targets last season's dominant strain

This year's flu vaccine has been completely reformulated to target H3N2, the variant that dominated the 2024–2025 season, Lamarre told WLWT. He said last season's vaccine was not a good match for that strain, though it still reduced hospitalizations by almost 40%. Early data on the new formula looks promising, he said.

The 2024–2025 flu season was severe by any measure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 51 million flu-related illnesses, 710,000 hospitalizations and 45,000 deaths nationwide. The CDC classified it as the first high-severity season since 2017–2018. Lamarre cited lower figures in his WLWT interview, putting national deaths at over 20,000 and pediatric deaths at 198. The CDC's own count of reported pediatric deaths was 290, with a modeled estimate of 790.

Vaccination during that season prevented an estimated 180,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 deaths, according to the CDC.

Local health officials urged early vaccination

Hamilton County Public Health issued a fall advisory in September urging residents to get flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines. Feagins said last flu season brought the largest surge in Hamilton County in five years, pushing hospitals to capacity, as first reported by WLWT on Oct. 15.

Feagins said cases are already increasing, though a significant rise is not expected until November, according to Spectrum News 1.

Flu shots are recommended for nearly everyone six months and older and are available at most pharmacies, usually at no cost with insurance, Axios Cincinnati reported. Children younger than five need to get vaccinated at a doctor's office, according to Spectrum News 1.

"Vaccine rates are not where we want them to be right now," Lamarre said.