LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Flu and other respiratory disease activity in Arkansas remains ranked at a very high level for the second week in a row in the latest weekly report from the Department of Health.
The report for the week of Feb. 10 continues to place Arkansas at a ranking of 11 on the 13-point scale used by reporting agencies. Through January, the state has been at a high rank, the only exception being a single very high rank for the last week of December.
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The flu caused eight patient deaths, with an additional 70 patient deaths due to pneumonia and 24 deaths due to COVID-19, according to this week’s report.
Since the flu season began on Oct. 1, 2023, the state has had 48 patients who died due to flu, 75% of whom were not vaccinated, according to ADH officials. The majority of these deaths, 32, were people over 65, with 11 deaths among those 45 to 64 years old, officials reported.
Flu hangs on in US, fading in some areas and intensifying in others