• FILE - In this Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 file photo, a nurse prepares a flu shot at the Salvation Army in Atlanta. The U.S. government's Friday, Feb. 9, 2018 flu report showed the flu has further tightened its grip on the U.S. This season is now as intense as the swine flu epidemic nine years ago. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Photo: David Goldman / Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Photo: David Goldman
Image 1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1
FILE - In this Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 file photo, a nurse prepares a flu shot at the Salvation Army in Atlanta. The U.S. government's Friday, Feb. 9, 2018 flu report showed the flu has further tightened its grip on the U.S. This season is now as intense as the swine flu epidemic nine years ago. (AP Photo/David Goldman) less
FILE - In this Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 file photo, a nurse prepares a flu shot at the Salvation Army in Atlanta. The U.S. government's Friday, Feb. 9, 2018 flu report showed the flu has further tightened its ... more
Photo: David Goldman

ALBANY — The number of lab-confirmed flu cases statewide has fallen for the fourth week in a row, state health officials announced Thursday.

Last week, 3,005 cases of flu were reported to the state Health Department. The number of hospitalizations from the flu also fell again, for the sixth week in a row, to 493 New Yorkers.

Flu has been categorized as geographically widespread in New York for the past 13 weeks.

"While I am again encouraged to see a decline in the number of flu cases across the state, it is as important as ever to continue to take all appropriate steps to prevent the spread of the virus," said state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker in a statement.

He noted that it was still not too late to be vaccinated.

As of Saturday, 114,415 lab-confirmed cases have been reported and 20,612 people have been hospitalized this flu season season. Five children have died from flu or flu-related illnesses, while 18,916 children under age 5 have been diagnosed and 1,372 have been hospitalized.

During last year's flu season, there were 12,912 flu-related hospitalizations and eight pediatric deaths in New York. Over the previous four years, there was a total of 25 pediatric flu deaths in New York and an average of 10,571 flu-related hospitalizations a year.