Summer\u2019s ending, school\u2019s starting back up and the dreaded respiratory virus season is getting underway. City and state health officials are urging New Yorkers to get vaccinated against the flu, COVID-19 and RSV to stay healthy.<\/p>\n
COVID-related hospitalizations are on the rise<\/a> in New York City, with more than 500 admissions recorded in the five boroughs between Aug. 30 and Sept. 5, state data shows. That\u2019s the most weekly hospitalizations since early October of last year. During the first week of September, there were also 12 COVID-related deaths<\/a>.<\/p>\n Confirmed COVID cases<\/a> are also ticking up, although overall COVID levels remain lower so far this season than in years past, the data shows. State wastewater surveillance data<\/a>, which tracks the presence of the virus in untreated sewage, tells a similar story.<\/p>\n Hospital emergency department visits for RSV, short for respiratory syncytial virus, are also ticking up, while visits for the flu remain flat, according to city data<\/a>.<\/p>\n City and state health officials say vaccines are the best protection against getting sick during respiratory virus season and are endorsing a slate of vaccine recommendations<\/a> backed by several major medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians.<\/p>\n The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved updated COVID vaccines<\/a> in late August. But, like last year, the agency only recommended the shots for people who are over 65 or have underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk for severe illness.<\/p>\n The guidance endorsed by city and state health officials, by contrast, broadly recommends that all adults get updated COVID shots and specifies that includes people who are pregnant.<\/p>\n It also recommends vaccination for all children between 6 months and 2 years old, and for other children who either have health conditions that put them at higher risk or whose parents simply want them to get vaccinated.<\/p>\n The guidelines also recommend an annual flu shot for everyone over 6 months old and vaccination against RSV for older adults and infants.<\/p>\n \u201cEach respiratory virus season, we see increased levels of flu, RSV and COVID-19 infections, and New Yorkers deserve the most accurate and reliable information available when it comes to protecting their family\u2019s health,\u201d said Dr. Alister Martin, the city health commissioner.<\/p>\n Last year, changing federal guidance on COVID shots caused confusion and put up new barriers<\/a> to access. But city health officials said anyone who wants to get vaccinated this season should be able to, adding that the immunizations they\u2019re recommending continue to be covered by private and public insurance plans as well as the federal Vaccines for Children Program.<\/p>\n For those seeking a COVID vaccine in New York, CVS\u2019 online scheduler doesn\u2019t ask about underlying medical conditions. Walgreens does ask patients to confirm they are \u201cat high risk for severe COVID-19\u201d but doesn\u2019t ask for a prescription or any proof.<\/p>\n