Two older adults in Los Angeles County have died of the flu, the first flu-related deaths of the 2026-27 season, the county Department of Public Health announced Oct. 22. Both had pre-existing medical conditions. One had not received a flu shot, and the other was vaccinated one week before symptoms began. Protection from the vaccine generally takes about two weeks to develop.
The deaths come as flu is arriving in Southern California well ahead of its usual schedule. Weekly flu hospital admissions in the county rose from 115 to 144 in the week ending Oct. 10, and 7.9% of specimens tested at county laboratories were positive for flu, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.
