MID-HUDSON – Local and state health officials are urging the public to get vaccinated against influenza and other respiratory viruses as illness rates across the region have quadrupled compared with the same time last year.
State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald has called the flu “prevalent” in the Empire State. “Influenza, COVID and RSV are vaccine-preventable diseases and vaccines are the best protection against serious illness.”
New York’s Seasonal Respiratory Virus Dashboard has recorded more than 3,900 laboratory-confirmed flu cases as compared to 668 cases in 2025.
Counties reporting the highest numbers of cases are Putnam, Westchester, Orange, Sullivan, Nassau and the five boroughs of New York City.
Putnam County epidemiologist Alison Kaufman noted on Monday that “For the week ending October 24, Putnam had 20 cases of influenza, a decrease of 33 percent from the previous week when there were 30 cases. Cases are higher this year compared to the same week in 2025, when there were only two cases. The metro region of New York, which includes Putnam, has the second highest incidence rate in the state after New York City.”
Meanwhile, Putnam County Public Health Director Rian Rodriguez said, “Flu’s early arrival is a good reminder that the best way to prevent serious illness is by getting a flu vaccine through a pharmacy, healthcare provider or at any of the health department’s regularly scheduled vaccine clinics.”
Rodriguez said according to the State Health Department, only 15.7 percent of Putnam residents have received a flu shot so far this season.
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