COLUMBUS, Ohio - A lot of people in Ohio have the flu right now.
The number of people admitted to the hospital are way up for this time of year. Melanie Amato of the Ohio Department of Health says the higher hospitalization rates may be a sign that the worst of flu season has hit earlier than usual.
"I think the numbers reflect that the season has peaked earlier than sometimes it normally does. The one think about flu is its always unpredictable," Amato says.
More than 2,100 flu hospitalizations have been reported this year. Contrast that with just 370 this time last year. Amato predicts the number of flu infections will trail off early, but she adds that it's an unpredictable bug.