Two more people have died from flu-related deaths, bringing the total for the season so far to four, health officials said Wednesday.
The residents were an 88-year-old man and an 86-year-old woman, both of whom had underlying medical conditions, a news release from the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency said.
An 88-year-old woman, who died on Jan. 4, and an 85-year-old woman, who died on Jan. 6., also passed away from similar causes.
Scripps Hospitals have also put in place several visitor restrictions at their hospitals around San Diego in an effort to protect staff and patients from the flu.
The temporary measures put in place Monday aim to prevent flu infections following news from the County’s Health and Human Services that two people in San Diego died from the flu earlier in January.
All visitors will be screened starting Monday, Scripps spokesman Leonel Sanchez said, and those visitors displaying flu-like symptoms will be asked to leave.
Those regulations include not allowing children 14 years old and under inside the hospital – including lobbies and common areas -- unless they are patients or have appointments, Sanchez said. Patients will also be limited to a maximum of four visitors a day.
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Influenza caused the death of 70 San Diego residents last fall and winter – the highest number since county health officials began tracking the illness.
Health officials are urging residents to get vaccinated despite the fact that this year’s vaccine is not as effective of a match for one of the strains. The vaccine is a match for other strains, however, and officials have said that partial protection is better than no protection as it helps prevent the severity of the illness.
Health officials said influenza this winter is spreading and sickening San Diegans at a faster rate than last year’s flu season: there have been 263 confirmed cases to date, more than double last year’s number.
Nationwide, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has described this flu season as an “epidemic.”
