Nine more flu-related deaths have been reported in Colorado, bringing the total number of deaths this season to 34.

The state reported Wednesday that about 1,550 people have been hospitalized with the flu this season.

About 900 of those have been confirmed as swine flu, or H1N1, but health officials have said that's the only strain of influenza they have seen so far this year.

The latest statistics are for the week that ended Saturday.

People in the 25-49 age group account for 14 of the 34 deaths reported this year. The number of deaths among those 18 and under was unchanged at seven.

Monitoring by Kaiser Permanente hospitals and clinics showed a decline in flulike cases in the Denver-Boulder area for the third straight week.

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