Thurston County marked the official end of the 2025-26 flu season with one more death to add to the count.
Thurston County Public Health and Social Services (PHSS) initially announced the death on Wednesday, Oct. 7, as the first of the 2026-27 season, but has since clarified that it was technically counted as part of the 2025-26 season.
That season began Sept. 28, 2025, and ended Oct. 3, 2026.
“Symptoms that led to the reported death began in September 2026, placing it within the 2025-2026 influenza-year window,” PHSS stated in a corrected release on Thursday, Oct. 8.
Details regarding the deceased individual were not released.
Official influenza season dates are set by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) every year and run on a different schedule than the standard calendar year.
There are no influenza deaths reported in Thurston County for this official influenza year of 2026-2027, which began Oct. 4, 2026, and will end Oct. 2, 2027, according to county health officials.
Thurston County’s respiratory virus activity level was “below transmission alert” as of Oct. 7. The alert level is calculated based on the percentage of emergency department visits that are diagnosed with an acute respiratory illness, such as influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and more.
Residents can view ongoing respiratory illness trends in Thurston County at www.thurstoncountywa.gov/respiratory-illnesses.
Influenza-like illness activity in Washington state as a whole is currently minimal, according to the state Department of Health.
This week, only 1.1% of outpatient visits were for patients with influenza-like symptoms, defined as a fever accompanied by a cough or a sore throat. The baseline is 2.1%, according to the state Department of Health.
The state Department of Health reported 253 lab-confirmed influenza deaths for last year’s flu season.
Influenza A activity is low in the state but is rising earlier than in recent years, which PHSS says makes it important that everyone gets their updated influenza vaccination as soon as possible.
The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get a yearly flu vaccine.
People 65 years and older benefit from higher-dose flu vaccines, but should not delay vaccination if the standard dose is immediately available.
Individuals who get sick with flu symptoms should avoid contact with others, except to get medical care.
While most people with flu have mild illness and do not need antiviral medications, those at increased risk, including young children, people 65 and older, pregnant women and people with certain medical conditions, should seek care.
In addition to getting the updated flu vaccine, people can lower their risk of illness and the spread of all respiratory viruses by doing the following:
• Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds with soap and water or use hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose where germs like to enter.
• Stay home when you’re sick (even if it is “just a cold”) and isolate sick household members in separate rooms.
• Wear a mask in crowded or poorly ventilated settings.
• Limit the number of close contacts for young infants and others at high risk.
• Clean high-touch surfaces frequently with a cleaner known to kill these viruses.
