Five flu-related deaths seen in NC as ‘peak’ season starts. Can you still get a shot?
Five flu-related deaths have been reported in North Carolina as “peak” season begins, health officials say.
One flu-related death was reported in the state during the week of Nov. 24 through Nov. 30, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Service’s weekly surveillance survey.
That brings the state total to five since the season started on Sept. 29, the NCDHHS says.
Four of those deaths were reported among people age 65 and older, and one was reported among people ages 25 to 40, according to the department.
There were a total of 203 flu-related deaths reported last year in the state, the department says.
This time last year, four flu-related deaths had been reported, according to the NCDHHS, and the year before there were five.
Last week, 95 positive cases of the virus were reported by hospital-based public health epidemiologists and four were reported by the State Laboratory of Public Health, according to the survey.
There have been 244 reported cases between the two so far this season, the department says, and last year there were 9,413 reported flu cases.
As peak flu season begins, the number of cases reported nationally continues to increase, with the south seeing “elevated activity,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Flu season usually peaks between December and February, the CDC says, but it’s not too late to get a flu shot.
Although it’s best to get a flu shot by the end of October, getting one later in the season can still be beneficial, according to the CDC.
Once you get vaccinated, it takes about two weeks to be protected from the virus, the CDC says.
This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 4:53 PM.
