STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York City health officials said Thursday that they’d seen encouraging flu trends in recent weeks, but that New Yorkers should still take steps to protect themselves.
Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse particularly urged New Yorkers to get their flu shots as the city sees its highest rate of flu in decades.
“We are not out of the woods,” Morse said. “Flu is notoriously a bit unpredictable. We fully expect, actually, that over the next several weeks we’ll continue to see flu cases.”
Morse said that in recent weeks the city had seen a decline in cases from the particularly high rates of late December, but that public health officials expect to see cases through May.
The week ending Dec. 20 saw 32,000 flu cases in the city, the highest rate of infection since 2005, according to Morse.
Staten Island is currently seeing case rates comparable to counties in the rest of the state and city, according to information from the online state flu tracker.
In addition to getting vaccinated, Morse urged New Yorkers to follow public health guidance like staying home when sick and if unable, to ensure their faces are covered when out of the house.
Much of Morse’s briefing focused on countering recent vaccine skepticism from the federal government.
Earlier this week, the city’s top health official issued the scathing rebuke of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s announcement reducing the number of recommended vaccines from 17 to 11.
In a Wednesday interview with CBS News, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested fewer people getting the flu vaccine might be a “better thing,” something Morse attempted to counter Thursday.
“We’re holding this briefing to provide updates on the current respiratory viral season and most importantly, to affirm the New York City Health Department’s vaccine recommendations,” Morse said. “The best tool we have for preventing severe illness is vaccination, and right now, the federal government is calling that tool into question.”