Influenza cases now over 8,000 for the season for the province

By Medicine Hat News on January 12, 2023.

The first provincial influenza update since the Holidays shows the seasonal case count is 8,335 as of Dec. 31, up from 7,681 on Dec. 17 (Dec. 24 numbers were not reported due to the Christmas holiday).

Influenza A continues to comprise the majority of cases in Alberta, with both the H3N2 and H1N1 strains of Influenza A present. Influenza B comprises the remainder of cases.

Seniors continue to be most severely affected by influenza, comprising the majority of hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths across the province.

As of Dec. 31, the total number of influenza-related hospitalizations so far this season is 1,812, compared to 1,629 on Dec. 17; and the total number of ICU admissions is 188, compared to 170 on Dec. 17.

So far this season, 77 Albertans have died from influenza, 15 of whom were residents of Alberta Health Service’s South zone.

Cases remain least in the South zone, with the zone reporting a seasonal total of 617 lab-confirmed cases as of Dec. 31, compared to 497 on Dec. 17.

As of Dec. 31, the zone is reporting a total number of 174 influenza-related hospitalizations, and 19 ICU admissions.

Despite having lower numbers of lab-confirmed cases, hospitalizations and ICU admissions, the South zone outranks the North, and is on-par with the Central, in deaths.

As of Dec. 31, nearly 1.2 million Albertans (1,199,430 to be exact) have received an influenza vaccination (26.9 per cent of the province’s population). That is compared to 1,163,876 (26.1 per cent of the population) on Dec. 17.

Meanwhile, 77,915 South zone residents have been immunized (24.9 per cent of the zone’s population), compared to 72,623 ( 24.2 per cent of the zone’s population) on Dec. 17.

11
-10