Maimonides Medical Center is urging families to take extra precautions this winter as New York state reports its highest weekly flu case count since tracking began.

State health officials say more than 70,000 flu cases were recorded during a single holiday‑week stretch. In New York City, emergency room hospitalizations rose 14.7% the following week.

“Last year was a busy flu season, and this one is looking even busier,” said Dr. Eitan Dickman, Chair of Emergency Medicine at Maimonides.

Hospital officials say that while many patients are recovering at home, a growing number, particularly children, are arriving with severe symptoms that require admission. Pediatric units at Maimonides have seen a noticeable surge.

“We see it hitting kids harder,” Dickman said. “They’re feeling very achy, high fevers, coughing. They feel generally very unwell and have gastrointestinal symptoms.”

For some families, the spike has become personal.

Dr. Ahmed Rashed, an emergency physician in Bay Ridge, said his own daughter recently needed emergency care for flu complications after being hit harder this year than usual.

He says parents should know that flu symptoms can start subtly, but quickly escalate.

“If the fever doesn’t go away, or they’re having shortness of breath or not responding to the usual therapies, then you have to be alerted that something else may be going on,” Rashed said.

Parents across the city are reporting similar experiences. Elaine George, whose son is hospitalized with the flu, said his symptoms shocked her.

“It’s really, really bad — headache, cough, fever that won’t go away,” she said. “This season is bad.”

Doctors at Maimonides are urging residents to stay home when sick and to consider getting the flu vaccine.

While the shot cannot fully prevent infection, Dickman said it may reduce the severity of illness and help keep patients out of the hospital.

"A disproportionate number of people, we are seeing in our emergency department, are unvaccinated," he said, adding he believes an additional spike may be coming after New Year's festivities, where people were in close proximity.

However, he says, in a positive sign, admissions had fallen since Thursday evening.