11th San Diego flu death, over 1,600 new cases reported

San Diego County Communications Office

Influenza-related deaths in the region rose to 11 last week and more than 1,600 flu cases were reported, the county Health and Human Services Agency announced Jan. 8.

The latest flu fatality is a 51-year-old woman from North County who died from influenza A Dec. 31, 2019. She had underlying medical conditions.

To date, 11 influenza deaths have been reported locally, the same number as this time last year.

The number of lab-confirmed flu cases jumped again last week, when 1,623 cases were reported, 260 more than the previous week when 1,363 flu cases were recorded.

“Given the high number of cases, influenza activity in the region continues to be widespread, just like it is in other parts of the nation,” Dr. Wilma Wooten, county public health officer, said. “The best protection against the flu is getting vaccinated.”

When to seek medical help

Influenza-like illnesses at local emergency departments also rose to 9% last week, compared to 8% the previous week.

People with influenza-like symptoms are crowding local emergency departments and taxing some hospitals.

County health officials are encouraging people who are sick to first contact their health care provider by telephone or arrange an urgent appointment. Residents should go to an emergency department when they have any of the following symptoms: difficulty breathing or shortness of breath; chest pain or abdominal pain; sudden dizziness; confusion; severe or persistent vomiting or flu-like symptoms that appear to get better but return with a fever and worse cough.

The county Health and Human Services Agency publishes the Influenza Watch weekly report, which tracks key flu indicators and summarizes influenza surveillance in the region.

For the week ending Jan. 4, the report showed that total lab-confirmed cases to date were 5,434, compared to 2,133 last season.

In addition to getting vaccinated, people should also do the following to avoid getting sick:

Wash hands thoroughly and often. And use hand sanitizers.

Avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth. Clean commonly touched surfaces.

Stay away from sick people. If someone is sick, they should stay home and avoid contact with others.