Health officials have confirmed the first two flu-related deaths this season — one each in Clark and Washoe counties.
The Washoe County Health District says the unidentified patient contracted Influenza A and died between Sept. 29 and Oct. 26 of this year. A total of nine people were hospitalized with the flu in Washoe County over the same time period.
The district hasn't released any other details about the fatality.
Officials for the Southern Nevada Health District say Clark County's only flu-related death this season occurred between Oct. 27 and Nov. 2. That person was over the age of 65, but no other details have been released.
The Clark County death occurred during a week when there were more than 60 hospitalizations from the flu or flu-related illness in the Las Vegas area. The number of cases there already are outpacing last year's.
County health officials say there were only a dozen cases of the flu reported around the same time in 2018 — five weeks into the flu season.
A Southern Nevada Health District official says it's still too early to predict how bad the flu season could get.