Flu Blamed For More Deaths & Hospitalizations in Minnesota
St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - The flu season rages on in Minnesota and health officials have yet to report any indicators that suggest activity is slowing down.
The Minnesota Department of Health, in its weekly report on flu activity, says six additional flu-related deaths were reported during the week that ended February 7th. That raised the death toll for the current flu season to 48 with the median age of the victims listed 74 ½ years old.
Almost 250 flu-related hospitalizations were reported during the same week. That was about 50 higher than the previous week and raised the total for the flu season to almost 2,000.
Influenza remained active in Minnesota schools during the past week. 73 reported probable outbreaks to the health department, while there were 7 confirmed outbreaks at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
The Department of Health is also reporting increases in the percentage of patients at Minnesota clinics complaining of flu-like symptoms and the percentage of positive results on samples submitted for lab testing.