Flu season is winding down in Pennsylvania, according to state Department of Health numbers. 

“The numbers have peaked and we’re on our way back down,” said Holli Senior, a spokeswoman with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, on Thursday afternoon. “It’s been a pretty standard flu season as far as numbers go.” 

So far, the 2013-14 flu season saw upwards of 16,000 Pennsylvanians infected — with a total of 449 in local counties. 

Since September of 2013, there have been 232 cases of influenza reported in McKean County; 72 cases in Elk County; 19 cases in Cameron County; and 126 cases in Potter County. 

The numbers have exploded since January, with a five fold increase in Potter County and 200 percent jumps in Elk and McKean counties, according to figures from the Department of Health. 

To that end, Dennis J. McCarthy, vice president of marketing and communications with Upper Allegheny Health System, of which Bradford Regional Medical Center is a part, said the majority of flu patients this year are children and adults under the age of 50. 

“This is typical of what other areas of the country are seeing,” McCarthy said.   

Since the beginning of this flu season, 223 patients have tested positive for the flu at BRMC, officials said. 

There have been 19 hospital admissions, according to McCarthy, who said this number is up slightly from last year, but not unusual for an active flu season. 

This year, the H1N1 flu strain dominated for the first time since first emerging in 2009, according to Senior. Young people are most severely affected by the virus, which often manifests as a cough, fever, sore throat, runny nose, aches, chills and fatigue. 

Both McCarthy and Senior are still urging the public to get vaccinated, pointing to 23 flu-related deaths confirmed in Pennsylvania by January.  

Senior hesitates to equate falling numbers with an early end to the season, which is expected to last through late March. 

“It’s still not too late to get vaccinated,” Senior said. “There’s still going to be flu activity across the Commonwealth in the coming weeks, and H1N1 is covered in the flu vaccine.” 

In the event of a late season resurgence, McCarthy said BRMC remains “well prepared for treating all persons seeking medical care at the facility.” 

While state influenza rates have dropped, flu rates remain elevated nationwide.