More than 1,500 Albertans affected by flu this season
CBC News | Posted: January 9, 2014 7:36 PM | Last Updated: January 10, 2014
Province now says 8 people have died from influenza, not 9
There have been at least 1,500 confirmed cases of influenza this flu season, Alberta Health Services said Thursday.
The agency also downgraded the number of deaths from nine to eight. The number was adjusted after tests showed that a case initially thought to be influenza was something else.
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The province also said more than one million Albertans have been immunized so far, a record number.
To find out where to get vaccinated, call Health Link Alberta at 1-866-408-5465 or visit the Alberta Health Services website.
Alberta Health Service's Dr. Judy MacDonald said public flu vaccine clinics will end after the weekend.
"We have enough for today and tomorrow. But when it's gone, it's gone," said MacDonald on Thursday afternoon.
In Calgary, hundreds lined up Thursday to receive the flu vaccination at Brentwood Mall in the city's northwest. Most were there hours before the clinic opened at 11 a.m. MT. There was a three-hour wait at the clinic just before noon.
Samantha Green is one of those that lined up.
“I’m No. 283 and I got here at 9:30 a.m. MT and the clinic doesn’t open until 11 a.m. MT,” she said.
Alberta's Health Minister Fred Horne said Wednesday the provincial supply could run out by the end of the week.
Horne said the province's recent shipment was the last available "on the planet."
Nova Scotia health officials said Thursday they were freeing up 1,300 doses of their reserves to send to other provinces experiencing shortages.
Earlier this week Premier Alison Redford asked people to be patient, saying anyone who wanted the flu shot would be able to get it.
Health workers are always encouraged to get the vaccine. In the Calgary zone, 45 per cent of AHS employees had received the flu vaccine as of Monday. That's the lowest rate in the province.
| Alberta total | North Zone | Edmonton Zone | Central Zone | Calgary Zone | South Zone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lab-confirmed cases of influenza | 1,571 | 189 | 587 | 225 | 485 | 85 |
| People in hospital | 372 | 23 | 108 | 25 | 194 | 22 |
| People in ICU | 54 | 1 | 24 | 4 | 24 | 1 |
| Number of flu deaths | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
Source: Alberta Health Services