Flu numbers climbing again after unusual up-and-down season, Pittsburgh experts say

PITTSBURGH — It’s been an unusual flu season, according to experts in Pittsburgh, who say numbers peaked, went down and now appear to be climbing again.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, cases of the flu are up 24 percent.

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At the end of last week, there were 40 flu deaths, health officials said. Twenty-nine of those deaths were people older than 65. There have been no deaths reported of people who are 18 years old or younger.

In Allegheny County, there have been five flu-related deaths, including two people in their 30s who had underlying health issues.

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Statewide, hospitalizations related to the flu have jumped by 20 percent, the department of health said.

“This season we’ve seen a spike and it started to drop off and we’re seeing a second spike again,” Dr. Graham Snyder, UPMC medical director for infection prevention and hospital epidemiology, said. “It’s almost impossible to predict what the next couple of weeks will show.”

Doctors say it’s never too late to get a flu shot because people are still contracting the virus, but hand washing and sanitizing surfaces are also an important line of defense.

Below is a chart that shows the number of flu cases by county for the 2019/2020 season from the Pennsylvania Department of Health website:

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, test results may identify influenza Type A, influenza Type B, or influenza without specifying Type A or B. Some tests only give a positive or negative result and can-not identify influenza type.

Click here for the 2019/2020 Influenza Season Data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Click here for additional information about the flu.

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