Flu Sickens Hundreds In NY As Virus Consumes State

NEW YORK — The number of New Yorkers sickened by the flu rose sharply last week as the virus began to consume the state once again, state officials say.

More than 2,100 cases of the flu — including 1,200 in New York City — were reported statewide in the week ending Dec. 22, 72 percent more than the week before, according to new figures from the state Department of Health. Some 363 people were hospitalized with influenza across the state, a 41 percent increase from the prior week, the department said.

"Flu season is in full-swing, and as the number of cases and hospitalizations continue to rise, we must do everything we can to protect ourselves and our loved ones," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement Thursday.

New cases of the virus emerged in 58 of the state's 62 counties last week, Cuomo's office said. The number of cases in Brooklyn more than doubled to 275 from 109, state figures show. Queens had the state's highest number of cases last week with 403, up 98 percent from 204 in the prior week.

The figures suggest the virus is spreading again after last year's especially bad flu season that killed 183 kids nationwide.

Some 5,400 cases of the flu have already been confirmed this season in 58 New York counties, including all five boroughs of the city, and more than 1,300 people have been hospitalized with the virus, Cuomo's office said. The flu has also claimed the life of one kid in New York City this season.

Officials urged New Yorkers to get vaccinated to protect themselves from the flu. You can find a place to get a shot on this map.

(Lead image: A nurse prepares a flu shot in Atlanta in February 2018. Photo by David Goldman/Associated Press)