Excellus BlueCross BlueShield says the flu season is officially underway, but the good news is that tracking data shows the flu vaccine this year is effective against the strain hitting New York State.
The chief medical officer at Excellus says that means getting a flu shot is sort of like playing the lottery if you knew the winning numbers in advance.
Dr. Matthew Bartels says there were a few cases beginning in October, not much more in November, and a statewide spike in reported flu cases in the first week of December.