Putnam has highest rate in state

A surge in flu cases has propelled New York State to a one-week record and sent infections and hospitalizations in Dutchess and Putnam counties to their highest levels in at least two years.

Cases reported by testing labs and hospitals reached 71,123 statewide for the week ending Dec. 20, raising the tally of the achy and the sniffling by 38 percent over the previous seven days and the most in one week since New York made flu cases reportable in 2004. Cases fell by 32 percent during the next reporting period, the week ending Dec. 27, but hospitalizations hit a record, 4,546 compared to 3,666 during the seven-day period ending Dec. 20, according to James McDonald, the state's health commissioner.

Among those hospitalized, 41 percent were 75 and older and 20 percent between 65 and 74. Hospitals and nursing homes in New York have also been experiencing outbreaks this flu season, which annually runs from October to May.

More cases are being reported due to heightened testing, McDonald said in a statement about the one-week high in positive flu tests, "but this record number underscores that this season is impacting more people than in other recent years."

His department's data shows that 24 percent of state residents, including 22 percent in Dutchess and 24 percent in Putnam, have received a flu vaccine. The data, which only reports pediatric deaths from the flu, shows that two children under 18 have died this season.

"There are simple steps New Yorkers can take to protect themselves and those around them, including getting vaccinated, staying home when sick and practicing everyday preventive measures," he said.

Rian Rodriguez, Putnam's public health director, offered the same advice. He said on Dec. 24 that Putnam's rate of 918 flu cases per 100,000 residents topped the state and was 61 percent higher than Nassau County on Long Island.

Both the 903 flu cases in Putnam and the 1,276 reported in Dutchess (nearly three times higher than the previous week) for the week ending Dec. 20 were the highest seven-day totals since at least October 2023, according to state data. Positive tests in both counties fell the following week, to 1,073 in Dutchess and 510 in Putnam.

Both counties also have more hospitalizations this flu season — 27 in Putnam and 187 in Dutchess — than at the same points in 2023 and 2024. Hospitalizations increased from 31 to 47 in Dutchess and from one to nine in Putnam for the week ending Dec. 20. They increased again in the new data reported for Dec. 27, to 89 hospitalizations in Dutchess and 14 in Putnam.

A county-produced heat map (putnamcountyny.gov/respdash) based on ZIP code data shows Carmel with the highest rate in Putnam for the week ending Dec. 20, with the rate in 10524 (Garrison/Philipstown) higher than in 10516 (Cold Spring/Philipstown).

Children are the most vulnerable to the flu, followed by older adults, Rodriguez said. Pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions such as heart or lung disease, asthma and diabetes are also at risk of serious complications.

In addition, cases of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and COVID-19 reported by laboratories are rising, although their numbers are dwarfed by the flu. Statewide, there were 4,904 reported cases of RSV for the week ending Dec. 20, an increase of 25 percent from the previous week. The number of people with COVID rose 3 percent, to 4,255. Both caseloads fell in the updated data reported on Dec. 27, with RSV cases down by 11 percent and COVID-19 cases down by 20 percent, although the number of people hospitalized with those infections increased.

On Dec. 30, the most recent reporting day, the state health department reported 23 positive COVID tests in Dutchess and nine in Putnam.