Is flu making a comeback? New York issues public health warning over ‘early and aggressive’ outbreak
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New Yorkers have been urged to get their flu shot “as soon as possible” as the state struggles with nearly four times as many cases as it did last year.
The New York Department of Health described the current outbreak as “early and aggressive” and warned it was showing no signs of slowing down.
There were 596 confirmed flu cases recorded in the week ending October 1 – compared to just 150 this time last year.
Both numbers are huge underestimates because flu is not routinely tested in the same way as Covid.
Experts fear the early wave of flu — which is also happening in Washington DC and several southern states — will trigger a “twin disease” this winter when Covid is expected to recover.
There has been hardly any flu in recent years after the virus was sidelined by the more contagious Covid virus and lockdowns also shut it out.
Washington DC joins Texas in “high” flu activity level, according to CDC data. Since the map was created, cases in New York state have risen sharply and are now four times as large as last year
CDC shows flu cases on the rise, as experts fear twin disease of both Covid and flu is on the horizon
New York State flu cases for the week ending June 25, 2022. This is the last week of New York State holding data, but an online seasonal dashboard will go live at the end of October
Flu prevalence in New York state in 2020-2021, according to the state’s flu tracker
Flu prevalence in New York State in 2021-2022, with a huge increase from 2020-2021. Experts expect a further increase for the current flu season
NY’s hot spots are the New York City/Metropolitan region, the Capital District, and downtown New York, with 57 percent of cases recorded by upstate counties.
The flu season typically runs from late October to May, peaking in winter.
But September’s numbers are higher than usual, the health ministry said, with cases still growing week after week.
On Monday, 44 counties in New York reported people with the flu.
Officials consider this widespread as more than half of the state’s 62 counties have been affected by the virus.
New York State Health Commissioner Dr Mary Bassett said in a statement: “I urge all New Yorkers to protect themselves and their families and friends by getting a flu vaccine as soon as possible.
“With the early and aggressive spread of flu, the annual flu shot is the most effective protection against serious illness.
“The Covid booster can also be administered at the same time as the flu shot to further protect your health and your environment.”
Citizens should get the shots “as soon as possible, earlier than they normally would,” the ministry said.
New York is tracking flu activity on an online seasonal dashboard that will go live in late October.
According to the latest data, 45.5 percent of all American adults and 50.1 percent of New York adults have been vaccinated against the flu.
It comes amid fears of a “twindemic” in the US this winter.
Both are contagious respiratory infections with overlapping symptoms, making it difficult to distinguish between them.
The flu had been largely wiped out in the past two years of the pandemic as lockdowns, working from home and the much more communicable Coronavirus limited its ability to spread.
A lack of exposure to the pathogen over the past two years has left many Americans’ immune systems unprepared for the flu, increasing the risk of a more serious infection.
There are early signs that the flu is making a comeback with major surges in the southern US in recent weeks, with Texas reporting a threefold increase in cases from September 8 to 29.
dr. Luis Ostrosky, chief of infectious diseases at UTHealth Houston and Memorial Hermann, told DailyMail.com that the numbers seen in Texas usually aren’t seen until the peak of the flu season in December.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also report moderate flu activity in Georgia and New Mexico.
Florida also reported an unusual wave of the virus over the summer that has since abated.
Washington DC is also experiencing what the agency currently describes as the worst outbreak in the nation.
Only a few hundred cases of flu were confirmed across the country by health officials in September, though the numbers were significantly underreported.
As colder weather pushes more Americans inside, experts fear the virus will spread rampant among an underprepared population.
If previous winters have anything to offer, Covid cases are sure to break out this winter too – with peaks in the latter halves of 2020 and 2021.
Officials say poor vaccine uptake — just one percent of eligible Americans have had the new Omicron booster — means there’s still room for a deadly Covid outbreak, even with the milder BA.4 and BA .5 sub-variants.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) even recommended that parents give their children two flu shots this year if they’ve never gotten the annual shot.
While House Covid Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha at the beginning of the month said, ‘I do believe this is why God has given us two arms, one for the flu shot and the other for the Covid injection.’