Updated 08/31/2009 09:43 PM
Study: One-Tenth Of City Had H1N1 Flu
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New estimates show about 800,000 city residents may have contracted the H1N1 flu virus.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other top city officials will hold a briefing Tuesday to discuss the city's plans on how to deal with H1N1 this upcoming flu season. NY1 will carry it LIVE, beginning at 1 p.m.
Dr. Thomas Frieden, the director at the Centers for Disease Control, says a study shows the virus other known as swine flu could have infected about 10 percent of city residents this spring.
"The vast majority don't get severely ill, don't need to be hospitalized," said Frieden, who headed the city's Health Department when H1N1 hit the five boroughs. "And those who get severely ill, need to be hospitalized or may die tend to be... those with underlying health conditions."
Mayor Michael Bloomberg thought the figure would have been higher.
"I would have actually thought that it was more, just because most people deal with a lot of people everyday," said the mayor. "You're in a room, in the subway, in the street, in a store, in an office, in a school, in a hospital, and the likelihood if it's contagious of you getting it, is very high."
The virus sparked concerns around the city, is blamed for dozens of deaths in the five boroughs and forced the closure of several schools.
City health officials say the full study is being finished and will be released soon.
Meanwhile, Governor David Paterson explained today what the state is doing to prepare for a possible recurrence of the H1N1 virus.
He kicked off a series of town hall meetings, which will be held throughout the state.
"We don't know that the H1N1 virus is going to recur. We don't know that if it does occur, to what extent it will infect people," said the governor. "But we want all of you to know that your government is going to take every possible means that we can think of to try and make sure that this virus the fewest number of people, and we assure you that our schools our hospitals and our government will be prepared for every outcome."
Paterson also announced a vaccination plan for the flu season, which instructs the State Department of Health to work with local health departments and target those the Centers for Disease Control consider to be at the highest risk.
For more information, call the DOH's 24 hour hotline at 1-800-808-1987.