An Edmonds man in his 70s with underlying health conditions has become Snohomish County's first flu death of the season, dying on Oct. 3 after testing positive for Influenza A — a grim milestone arriving weeks earlier than the county has seen in years. Local health officials say the timing is no fluke: flu activity across the region is already running at levels typically not reached until December.
The Snohomish County Health Department confirmed the strain involved in the fatality was Influenza A, which the department describes as the most common and severe form of seasonal flu responsible for local epidemics, according to HeraldNet. As reported by KIRO 7 News Seattle, influenza accounted for 1.7% of all emergency department visits in the county, already surpassing the Washington State Department of Health's 1.4% threshold that signals elevated community transmission.
The county has hospitalized 63 people for influenza since Aug. 30, KIRO 7 reports, including 31 admissions in a single week. Hollianne Bruce, the lead epidemiologist for the Snohomish County Health Department, said local virus activity is at levels typically seen in early December, which may signal an earlier-than-normal peak to the season, per the station's report.
A Season Arriving Months Ahead of Pattern
Dr. James Lewis, the health officer for Snohomish County, said flu season arrived early in Snohomish County and the greater Seattle area, the same outlet notes. He has encouraged residents to get flu shots as soon as possible to help protect against serious illness and death, recommending that people seek vaccination quickly to reduce their risk of severe outcomes.
That urgency is rooted in the calendar itself. Snohomish County has recorded its earliest flu-related fatalities in November during each of the previous three years, the station's report notes, making an October death notably out of step with recent seasons.
Comparing to Past Severe Seasons
The 2024–2025 flu season remains the county's benchmark for severity: Snohomish County recorded 53 flu-related deaths and 859 hospitalizations that year, marking its highest single-season flu death toll in more than a decade, according to HeraldNet. The following 2025–2026 season brought 24 influenza deaths, one pediatric fatality, and 606 hospitalizations in the county, per KIRO 7's reporting.
That pediatric death fit into a larger statewide pattern. On Jan. 28, 2026, Snohomish County health officials confirmed the county's — and Washington state's — first pediatric flu death of the 2025–2026 season, involving a school-age teenager, according to the Edmonds Beacon. Statewide, the Washington State Department of Health recorded 253 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated deaths during the 2025–2026 season.
Thurston County Reports Its Own Early Death
Snohomish County isn't alone. Thurston County Public Health and Social Services confirmed its own first flu-related death of the season on Oct. 7, signaling that early-arriving severe influenza is hitting multiple Puget Sound counties at once. Washington State Department of Health tracking showed 59 confirmed flu deaths statewide as of Jan. 17, 2026. The early flu surge has raised the possibility of a later wave.
Public health agencies recommend annual flu shots for everyone aged six months and older, noting the body needs roughly one to two weeks after vaccination to build full protective immunity, according to Thurston County Public Health and Social Services. Health officials echo that guidance locally, recommending that Snohomish County residents get vaccinated one to two weeks before attending social gatherings so their immunity has time to build.
Masking Thresholds and Access to Vaccines
Snohomish County Health Department guidance includes threshold-based masking recommendations for healthcare facilities.
Cost shouldn't be a barrier to a shot, either. In Washington state, all children under age 19 can receive recommended flu vaccines at no cost through the state's Childhood Vaccine Program, while most private and public insurance plans cover adult flu shots, per the Snohomish County Health Department.
It's too early to know whether this season's total toll will approach the decade-high levels seen in 2024–2025, but the early velocity has officials paying close attention. The flu surge also arrives as Washington agriculture and public health officials confirmed the state's first H5N1 avian influenza cases in dairy cattle, found in two Yakima County herds on Thursday — a separate but concurrent viral threat that is prompting its own worker health monitoring, as Hoodline previously reported.
