LAS VEGAS -- A 33-year-old Clark County man is the first southern Nevadan to die from the H1N1 virus, health officials announced today.

The patient, whose name is not being released, had been hospitalized since June 15 and died Sunday.

“It is not unexpected that we would see patients with severe illness and additional deaths related to this influenza strain,” said Dr. Lawrence Sands, chief health officer for the Southern Nevada Health District.

There have been 80 confirmed H1N1 cases in Clark County.

The most high-profile cases involved a 70-year-old Las Vegas visitor who died June 12, and an outbreak at Marion Earl Elementary School.

More than 1,400 absences were reported in one week at the school, where four students were diagnosed with mild cases of the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that more than one million Americans have been infected with a new H1N1 strain.