NEW YORK, NY May 20, 2009 —When H1N1 flu first struck New York City last month, health officials were quick to discourage the public from flocking to hospitals. Now, after a week of the virus rapidly spreading through schools -- and at least one confirmed death -- the message is changing. WNYC’s Fred Mogul has more.

REPORTER: People are still going to emergency rooms in large numbers, but now the city isn’t saying much about it. If anything, Mayor Bloomberg and other officials seem more intent than ever on letting people know they should seek medical help, if they’re severely ill or have flu-like symptoms and a chronic health condition, such as diabetes or heart disease, or if they’re especially young or old.

BLOOMBERG: Whether you have health insurance coverage or your immigration status is in question it doesn't matter. We will not ask about that. The only question that matters is are you severely ill, and if you are, our hospitals are there to take care of you.

REPORTER: Bloomberg and health officials continue to stress that almost all swine flu cases are fairly mild, but that severe -- and even fatal ones -- are inevitable. For WNYC, I’m Fred Mogul.