Overview
- New York State reported 71,123 lab‑confirmed cases for the week ending Dec. 20, up 38% from the prior week, with hospitalizations rising 63% to 3,666 and only 24% of residents vaccinated.
- New York City logged about 9,857 emergency visits for flu‑like illness that week, the highest weekly total in at least a decade, and experts say the season has not yet peaked.
- CDC sequencing shows roughly 90% of recent H3N2 samples are the subclade K lineage, which the WHO calls a notable evolutionary change that may reduce vaccine match.
- The CDC estimates at least 4.6 million illnesses, 49,000 hospitalizations and about 1,900 deaths so far this season, with sharp increases also reported in Boston and North Texas, including among children.
- Doctors describe intense symptoms and greater impact on young children and older adults, and advise vaccination, early antiviral treatment within 48 hours for eligible patients, masking in higher‑risk settings, and standard prevention steps.