STEUBENVILLE — The flu season seems to be winding down, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should not continue to take precautions to protect yourself, your family and your friends, officials with health departments across the region say.

“Respiratory season lines up with the calendar, and as the weather starts to change so do the number of respiratory illnesses, but, obviously, you can get anything at any time of the year,” said Andrew Henry, director of the Jefferson County General Health District.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Ohio still was seeing a high activity level of flu activity, while West Virginia was reporting a moderate level and Pennsylvania a low level.

“We’re on a slight downslope of the spike, which occurs from the middle of November to this time,” said Howard Gamble, director of the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department. “There have been those seasons that go longer. Those seasons are the result of other viruses that are not covered by the vaccines.”

Each state reports its flu numbers a little differently, but the overall trend in the Tri-State Area has been that the number of influenza infections seems to be dropping.

“Typically, when we look at the flu and COVID, our numbers are going to be characteristic of the rest of the country,” Henry explained. “Certainly, there’s a regional piece of it, but when you look at the cases in a major metropolitan area and compare it with Jefferson County, you’ll be looking at a similar number of cases when you do the math.”

According to numbers provided by Henry, Jefferson County saw one influenza-associated hospitalization in November, with that number rising to 16 in December and 31 in January before dropping to 13 in February. There were four COVID-19-related hospitalizations in November and 17 in December, with that number peaking at 24 in January. February’s total was seven.

In 2025, there were 22 flu-related hospitalizations reported in January and 60 in February. There were no COVID-19 hospitalizations reported in January or February 2025.

The Hancock County Health Department saw sporadic cases of influenza in December, with mild increases into early January, according to Ami Arneault, administrator, and nurse Michelle R. Berneburg. A significant rise in cases in the county was reported through January and February.

They added that the county appears to be experiencing somewhat higher numbers of influenza cases than at this time last year, which indicates the figures might remain steady for a while.

Gamble said the virus can still be found in the region.

“What we’ve been relying on recently to provide a clearer picture is sewage water,” he explained. “That allows us in a community — or, in our case, multiple communities — to see what is trending. What we’re seeing in our sewage water is that it is still there.”

Even though those numbers will continue to fall in the coming months, Gamble cautions that the virus is out there, and you might come into contact with it in places that you don’t always think about.

“Remember, that what we are currently experiencing in the United States is late winter and spring,” Gamble said. “But in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s late fall and winter. People who travel, for example, could be picking up the virus from cruise ships. It’s still out there. Individuals still need to stay home when they are sick and get vaccinated, especially if they are planning international travel or going to large gatherings.”

Arneault and Berneburg add influenza circulates year-round, but because people associate it with the fall and winter months, they might become less cautious as the weather warms up and activities increase.

Health officials said that the need to receive the flu vaccine remains important. The Hancock County Health Department saw a light decrease in the number of flu vaccinations given this season, but Arneault and Berneburg add there are many other vaccination options available in the county.

Henry, meanwhile, reported that the health department in Jefferson County gave 332 flu shots this season.

“We only have a staff of three nurses, so that’s a lot of vaccinations, and it’s just us. You have a lot of places where people can get flu shots,” he said.

Work is already underway on the flu shots for the next season, Gamble added.

“In the public health world, we have promoted the need to get vaccinated and had the clinics. Now, we’ve gone through that spike, and, in public health, you have to begin planning for what’s next. There is work being done on a combined vaccine for COVID and the flu.”

That’s nothing new, he added, pointing to the tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis shot many people already have received.