Feds allow NY to tap into Tamiflu reserves amid surge in flu cases
A package of Tamiflu. As of Wednesday evening there were some 4,100 cases of the flu in Nassau and 2,900 cases in Suffolk. Credit: Howard Schnapp
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Wednesday gave New York permission to tap into the state’s stockpile of the antiviral drug Tamiflu amid a rise in influenza cases.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services notified state officials about the authorization, after recently receiving a request from the state, a department spokesman told Newsday.
The approval comes as New York and the nation grapple with an uptick in respiratory viruses, including influenza, COVID-19 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus, more commonly known as RSV.
As of Wednesday evening there are more than 44,000 cases of influenza throughout the state, a 64 percent increase compared to the previous week, according to the state Department of Health. The cases include some 4,100 cases in Nassau and 2,900 cases in Suffolk.
New York and other states, including California, previously stockpiled Tamiflu to use in the event that influenza cases reached a pandemic level of spread. The current caseload does not rise to the classification of a pandemic, but federal health agencies have been tracking “spot-shortages” of the medication throughout the U.S. and wanted to give state health officials “the flexibility to respond to the current seasonal flu outbreak” by tapping into the stockpile if needed, the spokesperson said.
The antiviral medication, delivered in pill form, is used to reduce the length and severity of the flu.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ authorization will allow state health officials to determine how to disseminate doses from the stockpile, said the HHS spokesperson. The department did not immediately have figures available for the number of Tamiflu doses stockpiled by the state.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s press office could not immediately be reached for comment, but Hochul has repeatedly urged New Yorkers to implement “commonsense measures” to minimize their risk of infection, including staying “up to date on vaccines — including flu shots and COVID-19 boosters.”
Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.
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