Two New York City children died from the flu Monday in what health officials said were the first confirmed pediatric fatalities linked to the virus this season in the five boroughs.

City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene officials said the deaths of an 8-year-old girl from Queens and another child could both be attributed to the virus that has also been blamed for at least one other death in the Empire State and at least 50 others across the nation.

“The tragic death of a child due to the flu is a reminder of the devastating effects this illness can have on people of all ages,” a spokesman for the health department said in a statement. “The influenza season is far from over, and it is not too late to get the flu shot.”

(AP)