Hospitalizations for This Extremely Contagious Illness Surge over 100% in New York

Flu cases continue to surge across New York, with the state reporting roughly 65,000 cases and nearly 3,500 hospitalizations so far this season.

New York State reported an additional 24,513 new flu infections, confirming cases more than doubled across the state from the prior week.

New York City accounts for nearly half of the state's newly confirmed cases, with 11,827 as of the week ending December 28. The surrounding counties of Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester share a combined 9,264 cases.

Meanwhile, positive cases in Central New York remain on the milder side.

Onondaga County confirmed 218 new cases while Oneida County recorded 141, Madison County reported 58 new infections, and Herkimer County has 52 more.

Overall, the CNY region account for 1,330 new cases as of the latest reporting period.

While cases are one thing, health officials have expressed concern over the surging hospitalization rate.

Hospitalizations surged the most in Nassau County, with officials finding a 156% increase from the previous week. New York's rate jumped by 85% within the same time frame.

Several New York hospitals have implemented visitor restrictions to reduce the spread of the flu.

One such hospital is Albany Medical Center, which is now barring visitors if they present with respiratory or flu-like symptoms. Additionally, the center is only allowing two visitors ages 12 and older in a patient's room between the hours of 6am and 9pm.

Glens Falls Hospital has even stricter protocols and is only allowing people 18 and older to visit. The hospital has also limited entrance to the facility until further notice.

The surge in flu cases is attributed to people gathering for the holidays and being in close proximity with one another.

Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says flu activity is "very high" across the country. The most cases nationally are in Western states.

The CDC says the current flu trends appear to be following the same pattern from the 2019 to 2020 season, which also hit peak levels after holiday gatherings.

The flu isn't the only illness wreaking havoc across New York State.

Norovirus is also sweeping across the state, as are other debilitating illnesses such as RSV, whooping cough, and walking pneumonia.

Read More: Surging Number of NYers Coming Down with 3 Illnesses at Once

This is causing health officials to coin the phrase "tripledemic," due to multiple people contracting several infections at the same time.

The best way to protect yourself from getting sick, doctors say, is to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the flu, and RSV.

Another suggestion is to limit exposure to other people and to keep a healthy distance away from people who are exhibiting symptoms.

Also, norovirus does not wash away with hand sanitizer, so residents are encouraged to wash their hands with warm water and soap to kill germs.

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