Flu deaths in California, now at 74, much higher than last season

The number of Californians who have died from the flu has risen to 74 as of the second week of January — five times the number seen at this point last year, according to figures released by state health officials Friday.

Thirty-two people younger than 65 died from influenza during the second week of January, more than double the 15 deaths from the previous week, according to data from the California Department of Public Health. That marks the sharpest week-to-week increase in deaths so far this flu season, which began in October.

A department spokesman said 32 flu-related deaths a week is higher than average. The highest weekly number of flu deaths in recent memory, 56, occurred in the 2013-14 flu season.

At this time last year, 14 people in the state had died from the flu.

The state tracks flu deaths only among those younger than 65, because health officials say it’s a more accurate measure of the severity of a flu season. This is in part because older people generally have weaker immune systems and their vulnerability to illnesses makes it more difficult to pinpoint the flu as the singular cause of death.

One particularly strong strain known as influenza A H3N2 is widespread this year, and the majority of flu patients are suffering from it, infectious disease experts said. The flu vaccine does not fully protect against this strain, which tends to be more problematic because its higher levels of mucus productions can cause secondary bacterial infections.

“When we have a bad season like what we have now, it’s not unexpected we’re going to see more deaths,” said Dr. Kim Erlich, medical director of infection control at Mills Peninsula Medical Center in Burlingame. “The increased deaths worry us, but it’s not unusual compared to other seasons when we’ve seen the same thing from influenza.”

Bay Area hospitals and medical centers have been packed with patients with flu-like symptoms, prompting many of the region’s health systems to bring in extra staff, postpone additional elective surgeries and keep urgent care centers open longer than usual to accommodate the surge.

In the past week, however, there has been a slight decrease in the number of people seeking treatment and getting tested for influenza, indicating the H3N2 strain may have peaked. At Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, for instance, the number of patients being tested for influenza each day has steadily declined since the beginning of the month, from 30 people a day on Jan. 1 to 15 people a day this week.

Strains other than H3N2, however, may pick up as the flu season continues into February and March. Influenza B, a different type of virus, tends to be more common later in the season. It is typically less severe and persists for shorter lengths of time than influenza A, and those who get it are less likely to have to be hospitalized, said Cheryl Flesner, manager of infection prevention at Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City.

Medical experts stress that it is not too late to get a flu shot. Doing so helps shield people from the most severe symptoms if they do get sick and makes it less likely they will suffer complications that will land them in the hospital. The majority of flu patients who were sick enough be hospitalized — and a majority of those who died from the flu — had not received the vaccine.