Influenza cases continue to spike, with Alberta deaths now at 12

By Medicine Hat News on December 1, 2022.

New data shows influenza cases in Alberta are continuing to rise, with the province reporting 3,648 lab-confirmed cases as of Nov. 19. That is an increase of approximately 75 per cent from the previous week’s data, which showed 2,082 lab-confirmed cases province-wide.

Nearly 100 per cent of cases are Influenza A, however there are a small number of Influenza B cases reported.

While infants and youth continue to face severe outcomes at a disproportionately higher rate than adults aged 20-59, seniors aged 60-80 are now the most severely impacted age group in terms of hospitalizations and deaths.

The numbers of both influenza-related hospitalizations and ICU admissions have risen since the last update, with the province reporting 550 Albertans in hospital as of Nov. 19, wit 52 in ICU. That is compared to 355 hospitalized on Nov. 12, and 34 in ICU.

In the same time period, the number of Albertans who have died from influenza has doubled, jumping from six to 12, with one South zone resident included in that number.

The South zone is reporting trends similar to those seen across the province, with lab-confirmed cases, hospitalizations and ICU admissions all increasing between Nov. 12 and Nov. 19. Cases in the region increased from 61 to 117; hospitalizations from 14 to 24; and ICU admissions from one to two.

In accordance, the region’s immunization rate also increased from 50,933 (16.3 per cent of the region’s population) to 59,350 (19 per cent).

Throughout Alberta, 911,529 (20.5 per cent of the province’s population) doses of flu vaccine have been administered, compared to 781,868 (17.6 per cent) on Nov. 12.

9
-8