Flu cases surge in New York this holiday season

Medical experts are urging New Yorkers to protect themselves against respiratory illness. Since Thanksgiving, flu especially is hitting the region hard, including on Long Island, where activity level for respiratory illness is “very high,” according to the weekly influenza surveillance report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Flu is rising a lot faster than it did last year,” Dr. Dwayne Breining, senior vice president of Lab Services at Northwell Health, said in a news release about the rise in flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID.

According to the most recent statewide figures, 1,399 people were hospitalized with the flu during the week ending Dec. 6, marking a 75% increase from 798 hospitalizations reported the previous week.

Breining anticipates that this will be an active flu season for the third straight year.

“That’s driven by a couple of factors: There aren’t as many people getting vaccinated. There’s a lot of misinformation about vaccines out there. The other thing: The virus continues to mutate,” he said.

Currently, influenza A is the main flu virus spreading in New York State. Among the flu A cases that have been tested this season, about 94% are the H3 type, according to state data.

Flu seasons often don’t peak until around February, so it’s too early to know how big a problem that mismatch will be.

Hospitalized flu cases at Northwell are evenly split between children and older adults, said Dr. Annemarie Stroustrup, senior vice president of Pediatric Services at Northwell, which oversees Cohen Children’s Medical Center. The children’s hospital is already at capacity.

And across the state, RSV cases are up 35 percent while COVID is up 15 percent, according to state data.

Medical experts say vaccines are available to protect against flu, COVID and RSV, ahead of holiday gatherings and travel.

“We expect a more severe flu season due to circulating strains of the virus compared to last year,” State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said in a written statement.

“To protect yourself and loved ones against COVID, influenza and RSV, we strongly encourage you to take action for your health and get vaccinated ahead of the holidays,” he said. “Gathering with loved ones is what this season is all about. Vaccines ensure we have the best protection.”