Each flu season, the CDC tracks a few important metrics that help tell the story of how severe the current flu season is compared to previous seasons. Here are a few categories to track the 2021-2022 flu season numbers for Monroe County, NY and New York State, which began on October 1, 2021.
Positive cases in Monroe County – Four cases were reported for the week ending in June 25, 2022. 5,069 cases have been reported overall since the start of the 2021-2022 flu season.
Positive cases in New York State – 727 cases were reported for the week ending in June 25, 2022. 125,710 cases have been reported overall since the start of the 2021-2022 flu season.
Hospitalizations in New York State – 56 additional cases have been hospitalized during the week ending in June 25, 2022.
Mortality - The PIC mortality rate is the rate of deaths attributed to pneumonia, influenza, or COVID-19. So far this year, 99.996 percent of PIC deaths are due to COVID-19.
Deaths in New York State - At this point in the 2021-2022 flu season, there have been 82 deaths due to influenza.
Pediatric Deaths - Pediatric deaths are the number of deaths of people under the age of 18 due to influenza. During the 2021-2022 season, there has been one death.
The New York State Department of Health provides a more robust and detailed set of data about influenza through the state.
The final national data on flu season is released annually in April by the CDC .
Between October 1, 2019 and April 4, 2020, the flu resulted in:
Between October 1, 2020 and April 1, 2021, the flu resulted in:
The CDC outlines possible reasons for the lower numbers and unavailable data in its 2020-2021 flu season summary.
Flu or Coronavirus? Learn the Difference
Health officials continue to encourage people to get their flu and COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible this year. This will help to prevent the spread of both viruses and lessen the number of patients who may be admitted to local hospitals.
We have now learned that getting both the flu and COVID-19 vaccines at the same time (one in each arm) is safe and effective, according to a study done in the United Kingdom. On November 19, 2021, the CDC said COVID-19 vaccines may be administered without regard to timing of other vaccines. This includes simultaneously administering the COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines on the same day.
Contact your primary care provider to schedule both shots or call your local pharmacy for more information.
During the 2019-2020 flu season, New York State reported 157,758 positive cases. In Monroe County, there were 17 deaths and 5,775 confirmed cases. Of those confirmed cases, 763 resulted in hospitalization.
Those numbers declined sharply for New York State in the 2020-2021 flu season.
See more data on the 2020-2021 flu season
Flu vaccines in general reduce the risk of influenza infection by 40-60 percent.
Each year, researchers in the United States analyze data about influenza from around the country, then design a vaccine to protect against the four most common variants of the flu. The vaccine is then referred to the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), which makes the recommendation on how to proceed.
The vaccine developed for the 2021-2022 flu season is similar to the flu vaccine from the 2020-2021 flu season, but is also matched with currently circulating flu viruses. This resulted in the addition of two updates with influenza A(H1N1) and the influenza A(H3N2) vaccine virus components, according to the CDC.
“The flu shot is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from getting sick,” said Michael Mancenido, MD, an infectious disease specialist with Rochester Regional Health. “Flu shots are available at most local pharmacies, primary care offices, and community health clinics. Many of these places allow for walk-in appointments, so take some time to protect your health and get the flu shot.”
