Thousands of nurses at major New York City hospitals could soon go on strike, three years after a walkout scrambled operations at some of the same facilities. The strike could affect operations at hospitals including Mount Sinai, Montefiore and NewYork-Presbyterian. Nearly 15,000 nurses could walk off the job, just as the city faces a severe flu season. Staffing levels are a major issue, with nurses demanding manageable workloads and more workplace security. Hospitals say they’ve improved staffing since 2023, but argue the union's demands are far too expensive. If deals are not reached, the strike would begin first thing Monday morning.

U.S. flu infections are showing signs of a slight decline, but health officials say it is not clear that this severe flu season has peaked. New government data posted Friday covered flu activity through last week. It showed declines in medical office visits due to flu-like illness and in the number of states reporting high flu activity. But flu deaths and hospitalizations rose. By some measures this season is already surpassing the flu epidemic of last winter. That was one of the harshest in recent history. And experts believe there is more suffering ahead.