(WJW) – The Ohio Department of Health spoke about respiratory viruses in the state Wednesday morning.

ODH Director Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, MBA, hosted the press conference with OhioHealth Medical Director of Infectious Diseases Joe Gastaldo, MD.

Dr. Vanderhoff says RSV cases are high but on the decline.

According to Vanderhoff, influenza hospitalizations are slightly down. However, he doesn’t believe flu cases will drop to a low number for some time.

COVID-19 cases have increased in recent weeks, he said. The increase is “moderate,” according to Vanderhoff.

“We need to be mindful of the collective impact of all three of these viruses,” Vanderhoff said.

Three respiratory illnesses, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the flu, continue to infect hundreds of thousands of Americans daily – which can make it hard to tell what’s wrong when you feel a cough kicking in.

All three viruses cause sickness with overlapping symptoms.

A chart created by Children’s National Hospital compares symptoms associated with COVID-19, flu and RSV. (Photo: Children’s National)

The severity of symptoms in all three cases varies from person to person.