Flu Season: Cases High Across New Jersey, Health Department Says

NEW JERSEY — Influenza numbers are spiking again in all regions of New Jersey, data from the Department of Health shows.

Data shows all regions of the Garden State are at a high activity level for the flu for the week ending April 16. The number of people who've tested positive with a rapid flu test is higher than average, data shows.

Cases began increasing around Christmas 2021, and remained high through January except for a drop the weeks of Jan. 8 and 22.

There have been 21 flu outbreaks in long-term care facilities, the department said.

The NJ Department of Health began reports for the 2021-22 flu season on Oct. 9, 2021.

The 2020-21 flu season was very mild compared to previous seasons, data shows.

Dr. Ed Lifshitz, director of communicable disease services for the state Health Department, told NJ 101.5 this was because people were taking precautions against COVID-19 that also work against the flu.

Lifshitz said a surge at this time across the state is unusual in his interview with 101.5. He recommended that people get a flu shot, and to get tested for COVID if they're sick and unsure what the cause is.

COVID-19 and the flu have some common symptoms, and spread in similar ways. And both can lead to serious complications, the National Institutes of Health say.

Of course, allergy symptoms can also look like COVID or flu symptoms — or cold symptoms, for that matter. The best way to tell is to get tested, the NIH said in a monthly newsletter. Doctors can test for both flu and COVID.