Influenza in Alberta: Cases up slightly, one new death reported
Influenza in Alberta: Cases up slightly, one new death reported
Doctors are worried that coronavirus may end up being like influenza, which requires a new vaccine every year both because the circulating strains mutate fast and because immunity from the vaccine wears off quickly. (Sergio Flores/Getty Images)
One more Albertan has died from influenza since the last update according to the data, while newly reported cases for the last two weeks were slightly higher than the numbers seen for a month prior.
The death brings this flu season's death toll to 117.
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.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
This season, 2,077 Albertans have required hospital care because of influenza. There were 22 new admissions since the last Alberta Health update on Mar. 16.
The province was scheduled to release its weekly data on Mar. 23 but did not, citing technical issues, instead opting to release both last week's and this week's data on Thursday.
This season has the second-highest number of hospitalizations in 14 seasons.
The Calgary zone has had the most patients requiring hospital care, with 775, followed by the Edmonton zone’s 592.
Of the 22 new admissions between March 12 and March 25, 55 per cent were 30 or older. Five of the admissions were children between the ages of one and four.
To date, 213 people have required intensive care. One new patient between the ages of 70 and 79 was admitted in this update.
The majority of ICU patients this season have also been in the Calgary zone.
CASES
Alberta reported 130 new infections on Thursday. Seventy-three of those cases were reported in the week of Mar. 12, while 57 were reported the following week. This is a departure from new case numbers staying below the 50 case mark for the four consecutive weeks prior.
According to Alberta Health data, this season has the second-highest number of cases in 14 seasons, with 9,088 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 3,069 so far.
The Edmonton zone has had the second-highest number of cases in Alberta, with 2,635.
The Central zone has had 1,079 cases; the North zone has reported 1,605 cases, while the South zone has counted 690. Ten cases have not been assigned a zone.
Influenza A has made up 97.1 per cent of this season’s laboratory-confirmed cases.
OUTBREAKS AND VACCINATIONS
There have been a total of 100 outbreaks in Alberta this season. Fifty-five per cent have been at supportive-living and home-living sites. There were two new outbreaks in this update.
More than 1.3 million influenza vaccines have been administered since Oct. 17, translating to 27.7 per cent of Albertans being immunized. There are also 66,664 more people vaccinated compared to this time last year.
Of Albertans aged 65 or older, 63.8 per cent have been vaccinated for influenza, while 29.9 per cent of children between six months and four years have their vaccine.
An attorney for an 11-year-old Mississippi boy who was shot by a police officer after he called 911 for help said Thursday there was 'no way' the boy could have been mistaken for an adult.
Texas' Republican-led House of Representatives impeached state Attorney General Ken Paxton on Saturday on articles including bribery and abuse of public trust, a sudden, historic rebuke of a GOP official who rose to be a star of the conservative legal movement despite years of scandal and alleged crimes.
Killer whales severely damaged a sailing boat off the coast of southern Spain, the local maritime rescue service said on Thursday, adding to dozens of orca attacks on vessels recorded so far this year on Spanish and Portuguese coasts.
It is a world wrapped in mystery - the seventh planet from the sun, Uranus, seen up close just once nearly four decades ago by a passing NASA probe and still warily guarding its secrets.
Mexican authorities say they've made an arrest in the killing of a Quebec man earlier this month in the Pacific coast beach town of Puerto Escondido. The Oaxaca state attorney general says in a statement issued Friday that an arrest warrant was executed for a man in Puerto Escondido identified only by his initials in connection with the homicide of Victor Masson.
Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley held a major rally in downtown Calgary Saturday morning, while her United Conservative rival had no public events planned this weekend after a final pitch to voters a day earlier.
A Prince Albert man said he can start moving on, now that the woman who attacked his 89-year-old father has been sentenced. He said because of the assault, he lost both his mother and father.
The Catholic school system in Saskatchewan has a long history and is ultimately protected by the province’s constitution. Something the courts have backed up.
Advocates are hoping the Ontario government will consider alternatives to the use of wild animals in off-leash dog areas for the purpose of tracking as officials push forward with a proposal to expand training areas in the province.
Quebecers are used to congestion headaches on Highway 40, but Saturday’s hold-up was nothing if not out of the ordinary: a horse broke free from its transport container and ran free in the fast lane. Marco Lelievre, a trucker, stopped his vehicle while driving through Repentigny, Que. after he saw the runaway horse.
Those planning on travelling in and around Montreal on the weekend may want to consider public transit or a bicycle to get around as there are a more than a few construction projects that will cause major road closures.
Who is Diandra D'Alessio? She's a Montrealer, a technical writer, a history lover -- and she's last night's Jeopardy winner. The self-proclaimed trivia buff made it out on top with $3,299 under her belt.
The president of the Ottawa-Gatineau Hotel Association says hotels in the area are near capacity this weekend, as Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, the Ottawa Redblacks exhibition game, the Great Glebe Garage Sale and other events attract people to Ottawa.
Health Canada has issued a warning about unauthorized amoxicillin capsules seized from a Vanier grocery store, saying the product may pose serious health risks to users.
Ontario Provincial Police have charged two people following reports of hitchhikers displaying aggressive behaviour along the Highway 17 East corridor in Kenora.
As more people are heading out to enjoy the city’s wilderness areas, North Vancouver RCMP issued water safety tips for those spending time at the North Shore’s rivers and lakes.
A man and a woman have been arrested and charged for last March’s murder of 41-year-old Chad Colivas of Abbotsford, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said Saturday.
Everyone is experiencing sticker shock at the grocery store these days, and a new report is putting a dollar figure on how much it’s costing families, per month, to eat healthy.
British Columbia Premier David Eby has called byelections for two ridings left vacant after the resignations of the previous New Democrat premier and a former cabinet minister.
Doctors are worried that coronavirus may end up being like influenza, which requires a new vaccine every year both because the circulating strains mutate fast and because immunity from the vaccine wears off quickly. (Sergio Flores/Getty Images)
