The New York State Health Department says flu season has started early and is hitting hard.
"Flu started about six weeks earlier than usual," said state Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald. "We declared it prevalent, that means widespread across New York State, about two weeks ago."
As of November 4, nearly 7,700 people have come down with the flu. That’s eight times higher than at the same time last year. It's caught most people by surprise, said McDonald.
"Why so many people are getting sick is we're creatures of habit," he said. "A lot of us who get our flu vaccine don't get it in September or October. We get it in November or December. And so what you have is a little bit of a perfect storm. You have flu coming early, but the public isn't immunized yet."
And because the flu is hitting before people get vaccinated, more are landing in the hospital to recover. Cases of hospitalizations are an astounding 15 times higher than the same time a year ago. So far, no children have died from the flu. Nationwide, more than 300 people died from influenza in October.
McDonald said vaccination rates are a little bit higher than last year, but nowhere near where they should be. People who believe the false narratives about vaccines causing autism and other issues remain a difficult problem to solve.
"What really concerns me is what misinformation people are consuming, not just on social media, but among other sources," McDonald said. "So what we're trying to do is put out honest, objective information that is science-based, and really just answer people's questions as best we can.
McDonald said the state looks in various communities with vaccine hesitancy for trusted messengers. For the rest of us, his message is simple: Don’t wait…vaccinate.
