Two dead so far in Oklahoma’s flu season

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma health officials say two people have died from influenza during the past two weeks following the deadliest flu season in the state on record.

The Oklahoma Department of Health said Thursday that both victims were 65 years of age or older and were residents of northeastern Oklahoma.

They are the first deaths recorded since the flu season officially began on Sept. 1. In addition, health officials say 56 people, including 14 in Tulsa County alone, have been hospitalized with flu-related symptoms. Those hospitalized with flu include seven children aged 17 or younger.

Health Department spokesman Tony Sellars says 291 people died due to the flu during Oklahoma’s previous flu season, the most since the agency began tracking flu deaths in 2009. Thousands more Oklahomans were hospitalized with the virus.