Western Washington appears to be experiencing an unusually early flu surge, with hospitalizations and deaths reported in the Puget Sound region. Public health officials are urging vaccination.
Snohomish County health officials recorded 63 flu-related hospitalizations between late August and early October, including 31 in one week. Dr. James Lewis of the county health department said that level of admissions is more typical of December. He said two deaths have been associated with the current surge.
Emergency department visits for flu-like illness began rising in mid-August, well ahead of the usual late-October increase, according to Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett, Washington’s state health officer. One of the reported deaths was an elderly Edmonds man with underlying conditions who tested positive for influenza A. He died October 3, a day before the official start of the 2026–27 flu reporting season, placing his death in the previous season’s tally.
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