New York state’s top doctor is warning that even if you’ve had the flu this season, you’re still at risk.
“One of the things about flu is that it’s not just one disease, and you can get flu more than once a season,” said Dr. James McDonald, commissioner, New York State Department of Health.
The warning comes as the Empire State experiences a surge statewide, and young children and the elderly remain amongst the most vulnerable.
The most recent numbers reported by the department finds this season, there were 269,433 cases overall and 17,833 hospitalizations. The most recent weekly numbers show adults 75 and older lead hospitalizations with more than 400, while children ages 0-4 made up more than 4,000 cases.
“It looks like a second strain is coming in,” said Dr. Harry Miller, lead physician, Four Seasons Pediatrics Boston Children’s Health Physicians. “Whether that will take as strong a hold as Flu A we’ve been seeing remains to be seen.”
Miller says vaccination rates remain a concern.
“As less people vaccinate, that’s a bigger pool,” Miller said. “A bigger reservoir a higher number of people who will bleed through and spread that infection.”