NEW YORK, NY June 03, 2009 —Two more people have died -- bringing the total to seven -- and more than 300 have been hospitalized from H1N1, or swine flu. WNYC’s Fred Mogul has more.

The city's Health Department says one of the seven deaths remains under investigation, but the other six were people officials say had “underlying conditions.” That broad category includes the extremely old or young, pregnant women, and those with chronic illnesses including heart disease, HIV, asthma or diabetes.

About 2000 New Yorkers die of seasonal flu state-wide each year. Of those hospitalized locally with severe flu symptoms, four out of five also had “underlying conditions.” Asthma has been the most common factor.

Also, ER visits are down from the peak two weeks ago, but are still higher than normal. For WNYC, I’m Fred Mogul.