STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — In case you weren’t aware of how serious the flu outbreak in New York is, Capital District hospitals are asking visitors to mask up.
Yes, that’s right: Masks are making a comeback in 2026.
According to reporting by ABC News 10, institutions like Glens Falls Hospital and Saratoga Hospital alerted the public via social media to the mask ask in order “to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses,” in the case of Glens Falls.
According to a Facebook post from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the number of flu cases reported is “currently higher than the peaks of the previous two flu seasons.”
A strain of Influenza A virus called H3, dubbed the ‘super flu,’ because of its severity, is hitting hardest, the state agency reports. Ninety-five percent of cases in New York have been influenza A/H3, while 5% have been influenza A/H1, according to the agency’s most recently published data.
In the U.S. the 2025-2025 flu season has been dominated by the H3N2 variant, which accounts for 86% of Influenza A cases, according to Dr. Ana Mendez, chief of Ambulatory Pediatrics at Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton.
The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times, can lead to death.
The current data, which spans until Dec. 27, 2025, shows Staten Island accumulating 1,297 cases in a single week. 1,035 of those cases are Influenza A, 24 of those cases are Influenza B, and 238 are unspecified strains of Influenza.
New York City leads the state in the number of cases, of course, due to the concentration of populace.
The data, provided by the New York State Department of Health, marks a whopping 239,857 cases of the flu thus far.
Flu season spans several months, with the worst of it coming “between December and February,” according to the CDC.