PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Flu season is here and it’s claimed its first death in Pierce County.
A man in his 40s died Oct. 22 from flu-related complications, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department officials said Tuesday.
The man’s death marks the first statewide, according to a tweet from the state Department of Health. Flu season typically runs October to April.
The man, who died in a local hospital, had underlying health conditions that increased his risk for complications, county health officials said.
In the 2017-2018 flu season, 296 people died from the flu statewide, 31 of them in Pierce County.
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