Nearly one million Albertans have received the flu shot since October, more than the total number of people vaccinated the entire year last year.

At a press conference Wednesday, Health Minister Fred Horne said about 1 in 4 Albertans have been immunized. This past week alone, approximately 150,000 people received the vaccine.

On Tuesday, Alberta received the last shipment of influenza vaccine available, it was diverted from Italy.

“What we’re very happy about is that we have at most 140,000 doses left in the province, probably closer to 80,000 to 100,000 - because we know there is a delay in reporting from places like doctor’s offices and some of the smaller pharmacies,” said Dr. James Talbot, Chief Medical Officer of Health.

Officials expect the supply will last until the end of the week. Vaccines will remain in pharmacies and doctors’ offices, but any new shipments will be distributed to public health clinics – for centralized access for Albertans.

“I have been in touch with a number of other health ministers across the country and they are facing much the same situation as Alberta, they are beginning to run out of flu vaccine,” said Health Minister Fred Horne.

To help relieve pressure on hospitals, Edmonton will open a flu care clinic at the former Woodcroft Public Health Centre on Friday.

“People with flu-like symptoms can go there from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., 7 days a week - this will help reduce flu-related pressures on emergency departments and help limit emergency patient contact with the flu,” said Horne.

Dr. James Talbot said while the perception the flu season is worse this year, it is well within the boundaries of a normal flu season.

“At this time last year we were in the same vicinity, approximately 10 deaths at the end of the season,” Talbot said.

“In 2009 - the first time that we faced H1N1 - there were 72 influenza-like illness related deaths in the province, and that was still in the range of normal, for a normal influenza year. A pandemic year, in contrast, is estimated to be 5 to 10 times that amount.”

As of January 7, there were 1430 lab confirmed cases of influenza – 1287 were the H1N1 strain; 354 people had been hospitalized, 83 had been admitted to the ICU and 9 people had died.  

With files from Serena Mah