New York - Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday that 44 swine flu cases have been confirmed in New York City, making it the largest cluster of flu cases in the United States, even though all cases are mild and everyone is recovering. Bloomberg said he expects new cases to be confirmed in the coming days as tests continue on students with severe symptoms at Saint Francis High School in Queens, where all the cases originated. The school remained closed Wednesday.

Students at Saint Francis had made a spring holiday trip last week to Mexico, where more than 150 people have died of suspected swine flu since the outbreak first erupted.

Bloomberg said new flu cases were found, not all related to the Saint Francis school. A 2-year-old boy in the Bronx and a woman in Brooklyn were hospitalized with flu symptoms.

The New York City Health Department was investigating whether students at Public School 177 in Queens and the Ascension School in Manhattan might have contracted flu, after confirmation that 28 students at Saint Francis were ill with swine flu.

"I would just like to assure all New Yorkers that we are taking every step we can possibly imagine to contain this virus and to keep our public safety foremost in mind," New York Governor David Paterson said. "This is not a time for alarm. But it is a time to be alert."(dpa)