The number of patients going to their doctors with flu-like illness is down for the third straight week in Utah, indicating the spread of H1N1 is slowing.

Last week, 3.5 percent of patients were seen for the flu, down from a high of 9.4 percent in late October, according to the Utah Department of Health's weekly H1N1 report.

There were also 75 more hospitalizations reported last week, some of which first occurred earlier in the fall. In all, 698 Utahns have been hospitalized for the flu this season.

Five more Utahns have died from the flu, bringing the total to 19. Three were from Salt Lake County: a woman and man between ages 50 and 65, and a woman between the ages of 25 and 49. Also deceased: a Utah County woman age 65 or older and a man in southeastern Utah between the ages of 25 to 49.

Another 75,800 doses of vaccine should arrive in Utah within a week. At that point, Utah will have received 444,500 doses. They are being distributed by the state's 12 local health departments, either through government-run mass vaccination clinics or through private providers such as pharmacies and doctors offices.

In Davis County, the health department today will hand out 14,000 tickets to residents who want the vaccination.

The tickets will be given out from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Bountiful Regional Center, 835 N. 400 East in North Salt Lake, and at the Legacy Events Center, 151 S. 1100 West, Farmington.

The tickets

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will give people a specific slot during the three upcoming clinics at the Davis Conference Center, 800 West Heritage Park Blvd. in Layton. Vaccines will be given out on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

More information is available at www.daviscountyutah.gov/flu.