SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — Two strains of the flu have caused 40 hospitalizations in Spokane County since mid-November, according to the Spokane Regional Health District.
Spokane Regional Health District's Kelli Hawkins told KREM's Shayna Waltower that 40 hospitalizations due to the flu have happened since mid-November. Those hospitalized have suffered from two different strains of flu, with "A-strain" causing 12 and "B-strain" causing 28, according to Hawkins.
Earlier in December, the health district told KREM that there had been 29 hospitalizations due to the flu. The average start for the flu season in the Spokane region is usually mid-December, according to the health district.
This means that the 2019 flu season started about a month early.
The "A-strain" is more dangerous for older age groups and infants. Earlier in December, the health district said it was investigating why it was seeing the "B-strain" so early, which is rare.
The district told KREM that a hospitalization happened in October, but they didn't declare the start of flu season until mid-November.