Influenza in Alberta: 3 deaths reported, cases remain low

(SOURCE: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn)

Three more Albertans died from influenza in one week, according to health officials' latest data, while newly reported cases remained low, with fewer than 50.

The three people who died were adults. One senior was aged 80-89, while the other two people were aged 60-69.

The Edmonton zone, the Central zone, and the South zone each reported one death.

There have been 115 influenza deaths this season.

HOSPITALIZATIONS

This influenza season, 2,027 Albertans have required hospital care. There were seven new admissions in the latest update.

This season has the second-highest number of hospitalizations in 14 seasons so far.

The Calgary zone has had the most patients requiring hospital care, with 758, followed by the Edmonton zone’s 571.

Of the seven new admissions between Feb. 12 and Feb. 18, 57 percent were 40 or younger. One admission was a child under the age of one.

To date, 210 people have required intensive care. One person between the ages of 60-69 was admitted in this update.

The majority of ICU patients this season have also been in the Calgary zone.

CASES

Alberta reported 43 new infections on Thursday, a slight decrease from the week prior. New case numbers have stayed below 100 for six consecutive weeks.

According to Alberta Health data, this season has the second-highest number of cases in 14 seasons, with 8,853 infections so far. The 2017-18 flu season had the highest number of cases, with 9,115.

The Calgary zone has had the highest number of influenza cases in the province, totalling 2,971 so far.

The Edmonton zone has the second-highest number of cases in Alberta, with 2,564.

The Central zone has had 1,057 cases; the North zone has reported 1,576 cases, while the South zone has counted 679. Six cases have not been assigned a zone.

Influenza A has made up 98.8 per cent of this season’s laboratory-confirmed cases.

OUTBREAKS AND VACCINATIONS

There have been a total of 98 outbreaks in Alberta this season. Fifty-five per cent have been at supportive living and home living sites. There was one new outbreak in this update.

More than 1.3 million influenza vaccines have been administered since Oct. 17, translating to 27.5 per cent of Albertans being immunized. There are also 64,306 more people vaccinated compared to this time last year.

Of Albertans aged 65 or older, 63.7 per cent have been vaccinated for influenza, while 28.2 per cent of children between six months and four years have their vaccine.

Alberta updates its influenza data on Thursdays.