Salt Lake County reports 5 deaths from the flu this season, including 2 children

Emily Ashcraft
·2 min read
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Salt Lake County’s health department urged vaccinations on Tuesday as it reported five deaths from influenza this year and 353 hospitalizations.
Salt Lake County’s health department urged vaccinations on Tuesday as it reported five deaths from influenza this year and 353 hospitalizations. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Two Salt Lake County children, and three adults over 50 have died from influenza during the current flu season.

The Salt Lake County Health Department announced Tuesday that the two children both died in the last 30 days. None of the five individuals have records showing they received the flu vaccine this season.

Dr. Angela Dunn, executive director of the county's health department, said these five deaths are a reminder that influenza is serious. She said everyone older than 6 months should get a flu shot to prevent serious illness and to avoid getting others sick.

"This year's seasonal flu vaccine is well-matched to the virus strains we're seeing in circulation," said Dr. Dunn. "Vaccination is the best defense against being hospitalized or dying from the flu."

Ryan Chatelain, an epidemiologist with the Salt Lake County Health Department, said this flu season is unique because there are three actively circulating strains when usually one strain is responsible for most of the cases during the peak of the flu season.

Each of those three strains is included in the flu vaccine. The flu season is unpredictable in length and severity, but usually peaks in January or February.

Salt Lake County reported that 353 people have been hospitalized with the flu since Oct. 1. There have been 706 hospitalizations due to the flu throughout Utah this season.

The latest update of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services respiratory disease statistics showed the daily average for emergency department visits for influenza at the start of the month was at 206. That is twice the daily average visits for COVID-19, which was at 100. The average daily emergency visits for RSV was at 47 on Jan. 1.

Between Christmas and New Year's Day, influenza accounted for about 7% of emergency room visits across the state, according to the state health department.