Another 15 deaths from flu in North Carolina last week

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Another 15 people died from the flu in North Carolina last week, helping to raise the toll for the 2019-2020 season to 115, state health officials said.

Fifteen deaths were reported for the week that ended Feb. 22, along with 10 deaths from previous weeks, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday.

Of the additional 15 deaths, 13 were age 65 or older, eight from ages 50 to 64 and four from ages 25 to 49.

The DHHS warns that the weekly count doesn’t represent all flu-associated deaths in the state because many could go undiagnosed or unreported.

The number of reported flu cases fell for the second consecutive week, this time by 16.4% to 4,916 for the week that ended Feb. 22. The seasonal peak was 7,162 cases that occurred in the week that ended Feb. 8.

DHHS has extended the flu reporting period to the week ending May 16. A typical flu season runs from Oct. 1 through March 31.