State health officials reported Friday that fatalities from influenza now stand at 95 statewide -- with another 51 deaths reported from local jurisdictions under investigation.
That brings the total to 146 deaths -- more than the 106 deaths California had during all of last year's flu season.
"We so far have a much more severe season," said state epidemiologist Dr. Gil Chavez with the California Department of Public Health. A child in Riverside County was among last week's fatalities, bringing to three the number of fatalities in children statewide. All of them were under age 10.
Chavez noted that the H1N1 strain is the culprit and says the strain causes more severe disease and more deaths. In addition, it tends to hit younger people harder, in particular those with pre-existing health conditions.
While doctor's office visits and hospitalizations for flu were fewer last week than the week prior, Chavez said it was impossible to know if the flu season is peaking. "It's too early to tell whether or not it's a trend," Chavez told reporters in a media call Friday morning. "We know that the flu is rather unpredictable, and it has ebbs and flows."