Snohomish County, WA — With two flu-related deaths in Western Washington as of the first week of October, county health officials and medical experts are warning of a much earlier flu season than normal and are encouraging people to get their shots sooner.On Friday, the Snohomish County Health Department (SCHD) reported that a man in his 70s in Edmonds with underlying medical issues was hospitalized with influenza A, the most common and severe type of flu — and later died on October 3.SCHD stated that technically that man’s contraction of the flu happened during the very end of last year’s 2025-26 flu season, but “for practical purposes”, it is being considered the first local death of an early flu season.The county says that typically they don’t see a reported death until November, at least compared to the last three flu seasons.In Thurston County, their health department reported they also suffered an influenza-related death, although they did not provide any details about the victim; however, the county stated they had no reported influenza deaths in October, November, or December of 2025.Dr. George Diaz, the Chief of Medicine at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, tells KOMO News it’s been a very active start to the flu season, in addition to COVID-19 cases.”One thing about later flu seasons that we’ve had over the last few years is that people tend to delay their vaccines, and this year we’re definitely seeing a rise now,” Diaz said.Diaz noted that hospitals are approaching a threshold for COVID cases, where they’ll need to wear masks while on the job.”We’re a part of the Northwest Healthcare, [and] that consortium recommends masking when we get to levels of about 14.5%, and this past week,” said Diaz, “in our county were about 12%.”The SCHD reported that they’ve had 63 hospitalizations for influenza since August 30, with 31 of those cases coming in the last week, along with the death of the man from Edmonds — figures the county says they don’t typically see until December.”This is a serious illness and can cause death,” said Diaz. “So folks, the only sort of things we can do are preventative vaccination, covering your cough, if you’re sick — wear a mask, wash your hands [and] stay home if you’re sick,” he added.SCHD stated that they reported 24 influenza-related deaths, with just over 600 hospitalizations for the 2025-26 flu season, which were large drops from the 2024-25 season, where there was a record high of 54 deaths and upwards of 860 hospitalizations.Diaz says that getting your shots earlier than planned will help stay ahead of the curve this year, and before you have plans to see friends and family as more indoor events begin.“It takes a few days to a week for the vaccine to provide protection before infection; right now we’re seeing a fair bit of COVID circulate, and flu’s just taking off, so the sooner is the better,” Diaz explained.He says that residents can consult their primary care providers to seek out the vaccines they want, or can walk up to their local pharmacy, where many provide shots with proof of insurance.You can also see a complete list here of clinics in Snohomish County that offer immunizations through insurance, walk-ins, or have some kind of cost.
