The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reported 27 more flu-related deaths, six of which occurred during the week of Feb. 1 to Feb. 7, on Wednesday.

The development brings the total of in-state flu-related deaths for the 2025-2026 flu season to 263, according to NCDHHS. To this point, seven children between 1 and 17 years old in the state have died from flu complications.

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Thirty-six people died the week of Dec. 27, which came as families gathered for the Christmas holiday. Of the 263 total deaths, 204 of those occurred in people 65 years of age or older.

The week of Jan. 3 saw 66 adult deaths from the flu in North Carolina, the highest one-week total.

The weekly numbers are subject to change from recent periods as more information becomes available.

On Oct. 8, NCDHHS said an adult in western North Carolina died from flu complications during the first week of October. The death marked the state's first flu-related death of the season. The person's name was not given in a release.

“This is a tragic reminder that flu infections can be serious or even deadly,” said State Epidemiologist Zack Moore, M.D, MPH. “If you or your loved ones have not received the flu vaccine this season, I hope you will consider doing so to help protect yourself and your community.”

As of Feb. 7, flu-like illnesses made up 2.9% of emergency room visits in North Carolina.

Nationally, visits to the doctor for fever plus a cough or sore throat, which are common flu symptoms – the US is at its highest level of respiratory illness since at least the 1997-98 flu season, according to data published Monday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Illnesses and deaths during flu season generally crest in late January and early February.

More people died from the flu and flu complications during the 2024-2025 season than in any previous stretch since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. From Oct. 5, 2024, through September 2025, the state saw 544 people die from the virus. The national number of pediatric flu deaths (280) was also the highest recorded amount since 2009.

In recent months, a new law went into effect that allows pharmacists to test and treat the flu without the obligation of needing a prescription.