A total of 71,123 positive flu cases were reported in New York state over the seven days ending Dec. 20, which is the “highest number of flu cases ever recorded in a single week” since influenza was made reportable in 2004, the New York State Department of Health said in a Dec. 26 statement.
The recent weekly infection numbers are 38 percent higher than the previous week, with 189,312 positive flu cases reported so far this season in the state. There were 3,666 hospitalizations due to influenza, up 63 percent weekly.
