Flu Has Wreaked Far Less Havoc On NYC This Year

NEW YORK — The flu has flown the coop. Fewer than half as many cases of the virus have hit New York City compared to last year's unusually nasty flu season, state figures show.

The state Department of Health recorded 20,687 flu cases in the five boroughs from October through Feb. 9. That's a 54 percent decrease from the same period last year, when more than 45,000 cases were reported.

The drop has been less dramatic statewide. Some 43,635 flu cases had been recorded across New York through last Saturday, a 37 percent decrease from last season's 69,359 cases, DOH figures show.

The virus continued to sicken more people last week as the flu season approaches its peak, the data show. Some 8,591 cases statewide — including 3,624 in the city — were recorded last week, a 23 percent spike from the week before.

But that's only about half the 16,817 cases seen in the same week last season, figures show. The onslaught of sniffles didn't subside last year until two weeks later, when the number of new cases dropped for the first time in months.

Last week also saw the second flu-related death of a child in New York, the Department of Health says. That was the first fatality since October, when a kid died from the virus in New York City.

Health officials say getting a flu shot is the best way to protect against the virus, which comes with symptoms such as a fever, sore throat, cough, runny or stuffy nose and body or muscle aches. New Yorkers can find a place to get a vaccine on this map.

(Lead image: Todd Nelson, left, gets a flu shot from nurse Nicole Simpson at the Salvation Army in Atlanta, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018. AP Photo/David Goldman)