Flu activity remains widespread on the North Olympic Peninsula and throughout the state, health officials said.
Jefferson County Health Officer Dr. Tom Locke said the peak of the influenza season would likely persist for the next two to four weeks.
“We’ve had no additional deaths reported, but still very high levels of flu activity,” Locke said Thursday.
Public health officials reported six laboratory-confirmed flu deaths on the North Olympic Peninsula — four in Clallam County and two in Jefferson County — as of Friday.
“Our flu activity still remains very high,” Clallam County Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry Unthank said.
The state Department of Health reported 93 flu deaths as of March 9.
The number of flu cases, hospitalizations and deaths have “increased sharply” in recent weeks, the Department of Health said Friday.
“Last year the flu killed 296 people in Washington and thousands more were hospitalized — which is why you should get a new flu vaccine every year as soon as it’s available,” said Dr. Scott Lindquist, state epidemiologist for communicable diseases, in a Friday press release.
Locke said H3N2 became the predominate flu strain this year in a “second surge” of influenza.
H3N2 is associated with more severe symptoms than the H1N1 strain that was more common earlier in the winter, Locke said.
About 40 percent of the samples from Jefferson Healthcare hospital that were tested recently were flu-positive, which is considered an outbreak for influenza, Locke said.
“Our hospital has been seeing a lot of people coming in for the flu,” Unthank said of Olympic Medical Center.
“They’re filling up beds pretty quickly.”
Unthank encouraged the public to call their health care provider if they have flu symptoms.
“Most healthy people who get the flu don’t need medical care in a facility,” Lindquist said.
“To make sure urgent care facilities and emergency rooms can treat other critical health conditions, we encourage people to learn which flu symptoms require emergency medical treatment.”
Common flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health officials have said the best ways to avoid the spread of the flu are to get vaccinated, stay home when you’re sick and to use good hand hygiene.
For information on the flu and when to go to the hospital, visit www.cdc.gov/flu/takingcare.htm.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
