Flu is moving through West Coast children weeks ahead of schedule. About 150 children tested positive for influenza across the Seattle Children's system in a recent two-week stretch, up from about 10 in the same period last fall, Becker's Hospital Review reported on Oct. 5, citing The Washington Post. On Oct. 7, Thurston County Public Health and Social Services reported the county's first flu-related death of the 2026-27 season, according to KOMO News.
Developing Story Note: This report covers new developments in the early start of the 2026-27 flu season in Washington and California. Information may change as the CDC and state and county health departments release new data. The latest verified update is Thurston County's death report on Oct. 7, 2026, and national CDC figures run through the week ending Sept. 26, 2026.
