(NYT) – The number of patients going to hospital emergency rooms with flulike symptoms has soared.

In New York City, the signs of flu abound: more people wearing masks, more people coughing on the subway. There has been a school closure. Families canceling plans. Sports fans have noticed absences. The Brooklyn Nets head coach, Jordi Fernández, missed a game because of flu. So did a New York Rangers assistant coach.

Preliminary data from hospitals across the city indicates that more patients went to emergency rooms complaining of flulike symptoms — such as fever and a cough — in the week ending Dec. 20 than during any other week in the past decade. (Read More)