3 deaths linked to flu in Connecticut

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut's Department of Public Health says there have been three deaths in the state linked to the flu this season and in each case the victim was over 65 years old and had an underlying health issue.

Dr. Lynn Sosa, the department's deputy epidemiologist, says there were 1,680 confirmed cases of the flu in the state as of Jan. 5. She says about 10 percent of emergency-room visits also have been for treatment of flu-like symptoms or fever.

Sosa says the cases are up from the past two years, when the flu seasons were relatively mild. She says it's too early to say if the number of cases has peaked, but says there is no shortage of the flu vaccine in the state.