Influenza season is raging across New York. The state came down with a record-breaking 71,123 cases the week ending Dec. 20 — the highest since flu became a reportable disease in 2004, officials said Friday.
More than 15,000 of those lab-confirmed flu cases were on Long Island during that period — 7,924 in Nassau and 7,571 in Suffolk, state data shows.
“We are seeing the highest number of flu cases ever recorded in a single week,” State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said in a statement, adding that the agency is monitoring hospital bed capacity “to better understand hospitalization trends and to guide any necessary response related to impacts from respiratory viral infections.”
State hospitalizations due to influenza went up 63% over the last two reporting weeks.
Experts have warned of a likely severe flu season attributed to low vaccination rates and a surprise variant that emerged after the vaccine was formulated.
Statewide, there have been 189,312 positive flu cases reported since October, including 20,415 in Nassau and 18,109 in Suffolk. Infectious disease doctors have said lab-confirmed tests represent only a portion of actual flu cases because many people who are sick may not seek medical help or get tested.
The hospitalization rate in Suffolk County more than doubled over the last two weeks, from 8.79 to 20.38 per 100,000 people, while Nassau County’s increased from 15.4 to 23.2 per 100,000 people.
State health officials noted that reporting of flu cases has gone up in recent years due to increased testing but “the record number underscores that this season is impacting more people than in other recent years.”
McDonald advised all eligible New Yorkers to get vaccinated against the flu, and stay home when they get sick. People at higher risk of severe flu, such as the elderly and those with compromised immune systems, can benefit from antiviral medication if it is administered within 48 hours of symptoms.
Even though the current flu vaccine is not a perfect match to the circulating strain, it is still worth getting, said Dr. Bruce Farber, chief of public health and epidemiology at Northwell Health, during a briefing last week.
“[The flu vaccine] is very good at preventing hospitalizations and deaths,” he said. “It’s not as good at preventing flu per se, but if you get flu, more likely than not, it will be a lot less severe than if you are not vaccinated.”
Only about 25% of eligible New Yorkers have received flu shots as of Dec. 24, including 20% in Suffolk County and 24% in Nassau County. The state Health Department and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended the flu vaccine for everyone over the age of 6 months.
Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.