Elevated Flu Activity Hammers Pierce County Residents

TACOMA, WA - Deaths and hospitalizations in Pierce County due to complications from influenza and influenza-like illnesses (ILI) have continued to rapidly increase this month, with the latest Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department influenza report showing 12 people have died and 129 others were hospitalized in just the past two weeks alone.

Since Oct. 22, 2018, the health department has logged 537 hospitalizations and 31 deaths due to ILI. Among those hospitalized, patients range in age from 9 days to 97 years; the median age for hospitalized patients is 63 years. The ages of those who've died from ILI complications ranges between 36 and 97 years, with the median age 73 years.

Obesity also remains the most common premorbid condition among hospitalized patients, with 48 percent considered obese.

Statewide, the Washington Department of Health has reported the deaths of 114 people this season, with 44 of those deaths occurring just since March 12.

Influenza activity in Pierce County and Washington as a whole is currently considered elevated, though Washington's status is also listed as "widespread."

To see the latest influenza report and learn how you can protect yourself and your household from infection, visit tpchd.org.

(Sign up for our free daily newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the University Place Patch)