New NY Flu Cases Decline For 1st Time In 3 Months

NEW YORK, NY — The number of New Yorkers sickened by the flu dropped last week for the first time in three months, suggesting the historic outbreak may be waning. The state Department of Health confirmed 13,703 new cases of the virus statewide last week, a 25-percent drop from the week before, according to new figures released Thursday.

That's the first decrease in the number of new cases since the flu became widespread in New York 12 weeks ago, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office said. The number of flu-related hospitalizations also dropped for the third straight week to 1,702, a 21-percent decrease from the prior week.

The latest numbers indicate the flu season may be leaving its peak after several weeks of record-breaking numbers of people catching the virus. But officials still warned New Yorkers to stay "vigilant" and get a flu shot if they haven't yet.

"I encourage anyone who hasn't yet been vaccinated to take advantage of these opportunities: it's not too late," Dr. Howard Zucker, the state health commissioner, said in a statement. "And I am again reminding all New Yorkers to practice good hand hygiene and stay home if they are sick."

More than 40 percent of last week's new flu cases came from New York City, state figures show. The five boroughs reported 7,407 cases, nearly half of which were in Brooklyn and the Bronx.

No children died of the flu last week, the state Department of Health says. But the latest state and federal figures show the virus has killed five kids in New York and 97 nationwide since the flu season began.

Health officials have said the flu shot is the best way to ward off the virus, despite concerns about its efficacy this year. This season's vaccine is only 25 percent effective against the A(H3N2) strain, which has been the most prevalent this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week extended an executive order allowing pharmacists to vaccinate kids as young as 2. He wants the state Legislature to pass a permanent law doing the same thing.

The Democratic governor took credit for last week's drop in the number of new flu cases.

"Our comprehensive efforts to get New Yorkers vaccinated have greatly decreased the number of cases, but we still encourage New Yorkers to get vaccinated and take necessary steps to continue to stop the spread of this virus," Cuomo said in a statement.

(Lead image: Sharda Modi, a lab technologist, tests a patient's swab for the flu at Upton Regional Medical Center in Georgia on Feb. 9. Photo by David Goldman/Associated Press)