mask. but if i wasn t sick i wouldn t. mask advisory urges to wear a mask and out on the subway switch this weekend, arthel, are packed. point to the high spike in fluent covered berry. the advice comes as hospitals are busy taking care of patients sick with the flu, covid and wsrc it is the tripledemic we been hearing about doctors for weeks. according to data from the cdc at least 15 million people have been sick with the flu so far this winter. leading to 150,000 hospitalizations and more than 9000 deaths for that spike in illness coming just in time for the holiday season. are seeing very high rates of rsv in children. and some older adults. we are also seeing in the uk the disturbing tran 13 pediatric deaths. we note simply wearing a mask in this indoor spaces in particular can protect you. here s a look at the number
80% of hospital beds are in use nationwide. a rate reportedly not seen since january s omicron surge. more people are being hospitalized for flu than covid but covid hospitalizations are up 36% since thanksgiving. as a result, los angeles is weighing a possible mask mandate and new york city issued a mask advisory strongly recommending mask use indoors in offices, stores, public transit and even in schools. also urging people to wear masks outside in crowded spaces. the question is whether people will listen. we went to the rockefeller christmas tree home to the city s largest outside crowd and found very few people wearing masks. i would not go back to masks. i m comfortable not wearing a mask. i m a teacher. i am exposed a lot. we have all the precautions. a lot of people are over it. we re protected enough and
flu, covid and rsv-related illness are all on the rise nationwide. some cities now recommending masks to get things under control. bryan llenas is live in new york city. it s deja vu all over again when it comes to masks, to quote a famous new yorker. health officials are warning it could get even worse. yeah, john. go afternoon. reality, a real concern when people come together for the holidays, it s going to lead to a spike in cases. cases are spiking so much, new york city has a mask advisory recommending, strongly recommending that people wear a mask indoors in offices, and even in schools, but also outdoors in crowded areas, especially in places like, for instance, where the rockefeller christmas is, where we went, this is the most crowded outdoor spot in the city this time of year and we found very few people wearing masks outdoors,
spiking across the united states at the same time. these respiratory illnesses are filling hospitals at a rate not seen since last winter s covid spike. about 80% of the country s hospital beds are in use right now. bri . the new york state department of health says this is a complex challenge as we talk about that triple threat of covid-19, rsv infections and the flu, which is really seeing the biggest surge. i want to point to some data they gave us within the last few weeks. the number of flu cases has nearly tripled in the past three weeks and flu hospitalizations have more than doubled. covid-19 continues to pose a threat, particularly for the unvaccinated. the virus remains one of the leading causes of death in the united states. in response, the state of new york and new york city saying, hey, there s a mask advisory
they said the number of laboratory-confirmed flu cases has nearly tripled the past three weeks and flu hospitalizations have more than doubled. in addition, covid-19 continues to pose a significant threat particularly for under vax it inned or undervaccinated new yorkers as the virus remains one of the leading causes of death in the united states. the department of health is urging especially children, people with immunocompromised, 65 years and older, to possibly wear masks, saying, let s put out a mask advisory, it s not a mandate but it might be a good idea as these viruses continue to spread. not just here in the state of new york, it s happening all across the country. 80% of hospital beds are full right now. they are taxed. and also this statistic coming from the cdc. 26 hospitalizations for flu for every 100,000 americans, a number they haven t seen for more than a decade. it s so important to take those precautions. that is what health officials are urlging right now, to stay v