Long Island flu cases spike, U.S. doctor visits for symptoms hit 15-year peak
Doctors are reporting fewer people getting flu shots, which can protect against serious cases. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
A bad flu season continues to spread misery across Long Island and the United States as national figures released Friday show the highest number of people visiting doctors with symptoms in 15 years.
The weekly number of lab-confirmed influenza cases on Long Island was the highest in at least the past two seasons, with 11,862. Previously, the one-week mark for cases peaked at 8,879 two years ago and 6,850 last year. Hospitalizations due to flu are also up.
The impact is being felt at schools and crowded doctor’s offices.
Dr. Eve Meltzer Krief, a pediatrician at Allied Physician Group’s Huntington Village Pediatrics, said her young patients are coming in with fever, cough, congestion, sore throat and body aches.
"We’re seeing quite a bit of flu at increasing levels," said Meltzer Krief. "It’s hitting just about every age group."
Flu surveillance conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that 7.8% of visits to doctors for the week ending Feb. 1 were people with fever, cough and sore throat — also known as flu-like illness. The last season to approach that number was in 2009-10.
The actual number of flu cases is much greater since many people who are not severely ill will usually stay home and recover rather than seeking treatment and testing at a doctor’s office.
Estimates by the CDC put the flu’s impact at 24 million illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths so far this season.
"It’s a bad flu season," said Dr. Bruce Farber of Northwell Health. "It seems like it would have peaked by now but it hasn’t. I can’t predict whether it’s going to be next week or the week after but it won’t be a whole lot longer until we start seeing a dramatic decline in cases."
There is hope this wave is slowing down, and Nassau County might be there already. Lab-confirmed flu cases dipped from 6,038 on Jan. 18 to 5,673 on Feb. 1. They continued to rise in Suffolk from 5,216 on Jan. 18 to 6,189 on Feb 1.
Meltzer Krief said she saw fewer children vaccinated for the flu this year, which follows a state and national trend.
According to the CDC, 49.7% of children between the age of 6 months and 17 in New York have received the flu vaccine as of Jan. 25, 2025, down from 55.6% on Jan. 27, 2024 and 60.4% on Jan. 25, 2020.
The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older but infectious disease doctors said it is especially important for very young children and the elderly, who are at risk for severe illness. While it may not prevent someone from getting the flu, it will reduce their symptoms and the chance of being hospitalized.
Meltzer Krief said it's not too late to get children vaccinated against the flu.
Whether it’s due to mistrust of vaccines or fatigue from the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors said many of their patients don’t want the flu vaccine for themselves or their children.
"It’s no surprise based on the environment that we live in," Farber said. "People need to learn that the flu shot is not terribly good at preventing the flu but it's very good at preventing you from getting a flu that lands you in the hospital or can potentially kill you if you have comorbidities."
A bad flu season continues to spread misery across Long Island and the United States as national figures released Friday show the highest number of people visiting doctors with symptoms in 15 years.
The weekly number of lab-confirmed influenza cases on Long Island was the highest in at least the past two seasons, with 11,862. Previously, the one-week mark for cases peaked at 8,879 two years ago and 6,850 last year. Hospitalizations due to flu are also up.
The impact is being felt at schools and crowded doctor’s offices.
Dr. Eve Meltzer Krief, a pediatrician at Allied Physician Group’s Huntington Village Pediatrics, said her young patients are coming in with fever, cough, congestion, sore throat and body aches.
"We’re seeing quite a bit of flu at increasing levels," said Meltzer Krief. "It’s hitting just about every age group."
Flu surveillance conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that 7.8% of visits to doctors for the week ending Feb. 1 were people with fever, cough and sore throat — also known as flu-like illness. The last season to approach that number was in 2009-10.
The actual number of flu cases is much greater since many people who are not severely ill will usually stay home and recover rather than seeking treatment and testing at a doctor’s office.
Estimates by the CDC put the flu’s impact at 24 million illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths so far this season.
"It’s a bad flu season," said Dr. Bruce Farber of Northwell Health. "It seems like it would have peaked by now but it hasn’t. I can’t predict whether it’s going to be next week or the week after but it won’t be a whole lot longer until we start seeing a dramatic decline in cases."
There is hope this wave is slowing down, and Nassau County might be there already. Lab-confirmed flu cases dipped from 6,038 on Jan. 18 to 5,673 on Feb. 1. They continued to rise in Suffolk from 5,216 on Jan. 18 to 6,189 on Feb 1.
Meltzer Krief said she saw fewer children vaccinated for the flu this year, which follows a state and national trend.
According to the CDC, 49.7% of children between the age of 6 months and 17 in New York have received the flu vaccine as of Jan. 25, 2025, down from 55.6% on Jan. 27, 2024 and 60.4% on Jan. 25, 2020.
The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older but infectious disease doctors said it is especially important for very young children and the elderly, who are at risk for severe illness. While it may not prevent someone from getting the flu, it will reduce their symptoms and the chance of being hospitalized.
Meltzer Krief said it's not too late to get children vaccinated against the flu.
Whether it’s due to mistrust of vaccines or fatigue from the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors said many of their patients don’t want the flu vaccine for themselves or their children.
"It’s no surprise based on the environment that we live in," Farber said. "People need to learn that the flu shot is not terribly good at preventing the flu but it's very good at preventing you from getting a flu that lands you in the hospital or can potentially kill you if you have comorbidities."
Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.
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