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Second Korean dies of flu in Southern California

March 3, 2014

FILE-This Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013 file photo shows vials of flu vaccine in Philadelphia. As the flu season winds down, health officials say it wasn't as bad as last year and the vaccine worked better. But younger adults were hit harder because of a surge of swine flu. Overall, hospitalization rates for the flu are only about half what they were last winter. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

This Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013 file photo shows vials of flu vaccine in Philadelphia. As the flu season winds down, health officials say this year’s vaccine worked better than last year’s. However, younger adults were hit harder because of a surge of swine flu. Overall, hospitalization rates for the flu are only about half of what they were last winter. (AP Photo / Matt Rourke)

The Korea Times Los Angeles staff

In the midst of a string of hundreds of deaths from the influenza sweeping through California this winter, a Korean woman inflicted by the virus has been reported dead in a Los Angeles hospital.

Hers is the second death of a Southern California-based Korean this year.

The woman, only identified as S, showed symptoms of the flu last week. She checked into a hospital on Feb. 26 and died on the 28th, according to close sources.

Similarly in Orange County, a Korean man in his 50s was brought to the emergency room with symptoms of the same virus in January. He died four days later.

The prevalent string of influenza this flu season is the H1N1 swine flu, which claimed thousands of lives around the world in 2009.

This year’s winter has been ten times more fatal than last year, with more than 300 deaths across the state to date. Twenty-four died during the last week of February alone, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Those most affected by the flu are younger or middle-aged individuals with existing health conditions, officials said.