OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma State Department of Health reports a sharp increase in the number of confirmed flu cases and the number of flu-related deaths in the past week.
The Health Department said Thursday that six people died in the past week as a result of the flu to bring the total number of deaths this flu season to eight. The department also says the number of flu-related hospitalizations more than doubled — from 171 last week to 345 this week.
The number of hospitalizations has already surpassed last year's total of 316 while the eight flu-related deaths is one shy of the nine who died due to flu last year.
The flu season is considered to be the months of September through May.
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