North Carolina Suffers First Flu Death Of 2021-2022 Flu Season
CHARLOTTE, NC — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has reported the first flu death of the 2021-2022 season. The person who died was from the western part of the state and died from complications from the influenza virus.
The person who died did not have COVID-19. NCDHHS will not release the town, county, age, gender or the person's name to protect their privacy.
“This is a sad reminder that flu can be a serious illness and can lead to complications and even death in some cases,” said State Epidemiologist Zack Moore, M.D., MPH. “With flu cases increasing and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever for people to get a flu vaccine this year, as well as a COVID-19 vaccination or booster if they have not already done so.”
Influenza cases and deaths were historically low during the 2020-2021 influenza season, the number of influenza deaths reported in North Carolina ranged from 186–391 during the five prior seasons. Currently, North Carolina is seeing more influenza activity than at any time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.
This article originally appeared on the Charlotte Patch
