New York is in the Grips of an Influenza Virus Epidemic

Rob Grams • January 30, 2018

The influenza virus has reached near epidemic proportions in New York with 7,779 laboratory-confirmed of the illness in just one week. This spike represents a 28% increase over the previous week.

Time to break out those vitamin C tablets NYC, the NY Health Department confirmed that, for the week ending on January 20, there were 7,779 laboratory-confirmed influenza reports in New York. If you don’t want sore bones, snotty sinuses, and a killer headache, get those flu shots, people!

The weekly flu diagnoses and hospitalizations numbers have reached the highest on record (since records began in 2004) in New York.

The spike in cases of influenza marks a 28% increase over the previous week with 5% more (1,759 patients) hospitalized. Due to this alarming increase Governor Cuomo signed an executive order permitting pharmacists to give flu vaccines to children ages 2 to 18.

Read the full New York State Department of Health report HERE.

Everyone over six months old should get a flu shot as soon as possible, Emergen-C might not cut it, that goes double for children under 2, pregnant women and adults over 65. Healthcare workers who haven’t had a shot have to now wear masks around patients.

Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker advises everyone over 6 months old is encouraged to get a flu shot as soon as possible. He says the vaccine is especially important for people at high risk of complications from flu, including children under 2, pregnant women and adults over 65.

Typically flu season in the state goes on from October through to May, usually finding it’s peak in February. If this isn’t the peak we hate to see the snotty mess that NYC will be in by then. You’ve been warned SecretNYCers!

Featured image source [pixnio]