Schools Close, Others Reopen

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has ordered the closings of six additional schools due to influenza-like illnesses. Meanwhile, four schools in Queens are reopening.

ADDITIONAL SCHOOLS CLOSING:

P.S. / I.S. 499 in Flushing

P.S. 143 in Corona

P.S. 73 in Maspeth

P.S. 203 in Bayside

M.S. 113 in Fort Greene

P.S. 111 in Eastchester

SCHOOLS REOPENING FRIDAY (ALL IN QUEENS):

P.S. 16

P.S. 255

I.S. 5

P. 9

(AP) - More than 50 people have been hospitalized with confirmed cases of swine flu in the city since the outbreak began, a Health Department spokeswoman said Thursday as the city planned to scrub down part of the massive Rikers Island jail complex because of the flu.

Health Department spokeswoman Jessica Scaperotti had no immediate information on how many of the 56 patients are currently in hospitals, the patients' conditions or ages or how the numbers
had varied by day.

The department said most swine flu cases still are mild, but an increase in hospitalizations had been expected.  "As we see more cases, we're naturally going to see more severe cases," particularly in people with other medical problems,  Scaperotti said.

City officials say there are 240 confirmed cases citywide, slightly higher than state officials' tally of 227 in the city.   Either number represents only a fraction of the sick because only people with severe cases or in suspected clusters are being tested,  Scaperotti said.

The hospitalization numbers came as the city shut down eight more schools because of unusually high rates of flu-like illness,  and officials said the number of confirmed swine flu cases had
risen from four to 10 at Rikers. Its 10 jails house about 13,400  inmates.

The union, the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association, had pressed the city for days to shut down and sanitize one of its jails, the 2,600-inmate Anna M. Kross center, which housed seven of
the confirmed swine flu cases.

On Thursday, the Department of Correction agreed.

"We're acting out of an abundance of caution, and recognizing  that we have to do the best we can to protect our staff," said  Stephen Morello, a spokesman for the Department of Correction.
Morello said officials will empty one housing area at a time,  moving the inmates to other areas, including the temporary  buildings.

Once housing is sanitized, inmates will be moved from the other unit to the clean space. The department has not seen a spike in sick leave since the outbreak began, Morello added.
The 10 inmates with swine flu have been moved for treatment, a Correction Department spokesman said earlier Thursday. He was  unsure whether any were hospitalized.

Those in the city who have been hospitalized during the outbreak were apparently spread across various facilities. Ten to 15 people have been admitted to the city's 11 public hospitals, city Health
and Hospitals Corp. spokeswoman Ana Marengo said. She didn't immediately know whether any were still hospitalized but said none  had been in very critical condition.

An assistant public school principal, Mitchell Wiener, died of the virus Sunday. Scaperotti said there were no more suspected swine flu deaths in the city.

With the new closings, at least 31 public and private schools around the city have shut down within the last week because of flu fears. Swine flu has been confirmed in one, I.S. 238, where Wiener
taught.

Its teachers are scheduled to return to work Friday, while students are staying away until Tuesday. Four other public schools are set to reopen to students and teachers Friday after being
shuttered for a week.

City officials have said they base school closing decisions on factors including how many children are sick with a documented fever, for how long, and how that number has changed from day to
day. Two of the newly closed schools are in the same building in Queens; two others share a building in the Bronx.

Seasonal flu causes about 1,000 New York City deaths a year.