As Coronavirus Fears Grow, Flu Deaths Skyrocket In Pennsylvania

PENNSYLVANIA — The world's focus has turned to the coronavirus, but new data released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health shows that the flu continues to be a major problem locally.

The number of flu-related deaths in Pennsylvania within the last month alone has more than doubled, with 66 people in Pennsylvania dying so far this season from the flu. One pediatric death has been reported. In Delaware County, a second-grade boy died from the flu earlier in February.

In the past month, seven Pennsylvania residents between the ages of 19 to 49 died from the flu, data from the state Department of Health shows. Data from late January indicated two people in that age bracket had died; as of the Feb. 22 data there are nine.

Thirteen Pennsylvanians between the age of 50 to 64 have died this season and 43 over the age of 65.

Statewide, there have been more than 95,600 confirmed cases of the flu this season in Pennsylvania. The highest number of cases have been in Allegheny County, where more than 10,500 cases have been confirmed.

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The groups most at risk of the flu are older adults, very young children, pregnant women and those with certain chronic medical conditions, according to the CDC.

Meanwhile, headlines continue to depict a dire situation surrounding the new coronavirus.

Earlier this week, state health officials announced they were preparing after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a dire warning, saying communities across the nation should brace for the spread of coronavirus, now officially called COVID-19.

Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease, told reporters Tuesday the question is no longer if the coronavirus will spread across the United States, but when.

At least 80,000 people have been infected and 2,700 people have died from coronavirus, creating a global pandemic, according to the World Health Organization. It is spreading so quickly overseas that infectious disease experts and scientists warn there may be no way to contain it.

So far in Pennsylvania, there have been no confirmed cases. One York County couple who traveled to Japan has been quarantined for the virus at a Texas Air Force base, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

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