Flu still widespread, but numbers down from last year

By Paul Guggenheimer 

The flu is widespread in Pennsylvania for the first time this season, but overall numbers are down compared to last year.

Allegheny County has seen a dramatic drop in cumulative cases of the flu, just 126 so far this year compared with 1,241 in 2017-18. The cumulative number of hospitalizations is seven so far, down from 106 last year. No one in the county has died from the flu.

In Westmoreland County, flu cases are down sharply as well, according to Robin Jennings, a spokesperson for Excela Health.

There have been 30 cases in Westmoreland County this season, according to state Health Department data.

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