PORT ANGELES — A 57-year-old Port Angeles man who died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle became the North Olympic Peninsula’s third known fatality related to swine flu.
Dr. Tom Locke, public health officer for Clallam and Jefferson counties, confirmed Tuesday that a man in his late 50s died of complications of the H1N1 virus — or swine flu — on Saturday.
“It turns out the rumor, unfortunately, is true,” Locke said. “We learned of it this afternoon.”
Jefferson County has had no swine flu deaths to date. Kitsap County has had two swine flu deaths.
The man had been transferred to Harborview from Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles on Nov. 24 after battling what he thought was the seasonal flu.
As manufacturers caught up to the high demand for the H1N1 vaccine last fall, the pandemic reached a peak in November.
A man in his mid-50s died of complications of the swine flu at Olympic Medical Center on Nov. 5.
A women in her late 30s died of complications of the H1N1 virus at OMC on Nov. 14, Locke said.
New wave expected
Although swine flu activity has subsided, health officials warn that another wave of the pandemic virus is expected to strike in late January.
Restrictions on who is eligible for the virus have been lifted so that anyone who wants the vaccine can get it. Early doses were limited to the most vulnerable.
Locke estimates that about a third of the Peninsula’s population has been vaccinated so far.
“What we’re really shooting for is 50 percent,” he said.
A community outbreak would be unlikely if more people get vaccinated, Locke said.
“Now is the ideal time to get vaccinated,” he said.
If enough people are vaccinated, Locke said it’s possible that the third wave of H1N1 will never arrive.
“This may be one of the first seasons on record we actually stopped a winter time outbreak,” Locke said.
“Give yourself a Christmas present and get vaccinated for H1N1.”
The seasonal flu requires a separate shot. Both vaccines are available in pharmacies and from public providers.
Swine flu vaccines are free, but an administrative fee of $10 to $20 can be charged.
For more information about vaccinations in Clallam County, see www. clallam.net/news/swineflu.html or phone the Clallam County Health and Human Services office in Port Angeles at 360-417-2274, or the Forks office at 360-374-3121.
For information in Jefferson County, see www. jeffersoncountypublic health.org or phone the Jefferson County Public Health Department at 360-385-9400.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.