Influenza in Alberta: Cases remain low, no new deaths reported for first time in months

A patient receives an influenza vaccine in Mesquite, Texas, on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/LM Otero

No Albertans died from influenza this week according to the latest data, while only 29 new cases were reported – a low not seen since October.

The last time no new deaths were reported was the week of Nov. 5.

The death toll this flu season is 116.

In-hospital deaths as well as deaths in community settings reported by first responders are included in that number, while data for seasons prior to 2021-2022 only include hospital deaths.

• March 2 Alberta influenza update

HOSPITALIZATIONS

This influenza season, 2,044 Albertans have required hospital care. There were eight new admissions in the latest update.

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

The Calgary zone has had the most patients requiring hospital care, with 765, followed by the Edmonton zone’s 579.

Of the eight new admissions between Feb. 26 and Mar. 4, 63 per cent were 40 or older. One of the admissions was a child between the ages of one and four.

To date, 210 people have required intensive care. No new patients were admitted in this update.

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

CASES

Alberta reported 29 new infections on Thursday, a decrease from the week prior. New case numbers have stayed below 50 for three consecutive weeks.

According to Alberta Health data, this season has the second-highest number of cases in 14 seasons, with 8,923 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 2,996 so far.

The Edmonton zone has the second-highest number of cases in Alberta, with 2,591.

The Central zone has had 1,061 cases; the North zone has reported 1,586 cases, while the South zone has counted 683. Six cases have not been assigned a zone.

Influenza A has made up 98.5 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 were no new outbreaks in this update.

More than 1.3 million influenza vaccines have been administered since Oct. 17, translating to 27.6 per cent of Albertans being immunized. There are also 65,113 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 28.9 per cent of children between six months and four years have their vaccine.

Alberta updates its influenza data on Thursdays.