ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Flu cases are rising earlier than usual in Monroe County this season while COVID-19 numbers are trending down, according to the county health commissioner.
A new dashboard tracking flu, RSV and COVID-19 cases in the county launched for the year, News10NBC’s Adelisa Badzic reported from Strong Memorial Hospital. As of Oct. 10, there were 94 confirmed flu cases in Monroe County, compared to just 14 cases on Oct. 24 last year.
The ROC Health Data dashboard also includes surrounding counties such as Orleans, Wayne, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario and Yates, and allows users to view data from 2022 to the present.
Health leaders warned that the early rise in flu cases could put more pressure on hospitals, which are already nearing capacity before the height of the season.
“Being in the emergency department on a gurney in a hallway, any of us that have experienced that know it is not great. And when there are just not enough rooms, anything we can do to make sure that we have as few cases that need to be admitted to the hospital can only help our friends and colleagues who have a really serious emergency and really need those emergency services. The hospitals will see you. You just might have to wait a really long time,” Dr. Marielena Velez De Brown said.
Velez De Brown recommended flu shots for everyone, even for those who already had the flu, because the vaccine protects against three different strains. She said if someone had one strain, they would still be protected against the other two.
She also recommended COVID-19 vaccines for everyone and RSV vaccines for people over 75 or those with certain chronic conditions to help reduce severe illness and ease hospital demand.
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