Alberta appears to be through the worst of bad flu season, chief medical officer of health says
CBC
Alberta's chief medical officer of health says while it's far from over, the province appears to be through the worst of a bad flu season.
Alberta was hit by an early and "exceptionally large" wave of influenza in December that put intense pressure on hospitals that were already under strain.
The flu surge has been driven by H3N2, a type of influenza A.
Dr. Vivien Suttorp, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, said it tends to be more severe and hits the elderly, the very young and those with chronic conditions the hardest.
“Early indicators are that influenza A activity has reached its peak,” Suttorp said during a press conference in Calgary on Tuesday.
“We are now seeing test positivity rates decline, case counts are beginning to fall and the number of Albertans admitted to hospital with influenza A is starting to drop.”
According to Suttorp, hospitalizations for respiratory viruses peaked on Dec. 31.
At that point, 995 Albertans were in hospital, including 700 for influenza, 195 due to COVID-19 and 100 with RSV.
As of Tuesday, there were 706 people hospitalized, including 513 for influenza, 118 due to COVID-19 and 85 related to RSV.
She said hospital admission numbers may increase slightly as reporting is finalized, but the numbers are not expected to exceed those reported during the final week of December.
“This is welcome progress. But it does not mean the season is over or that we should let our guard down,” Suttorp said.
She noted that complications of influenza, including heart attacks and strokes, can be delayed.
Influenza B, which tends to emerge later in the season, is now on the rise.
“While these waves tend to be smaller, and associated with milder outcomes in immunized Albertans, they can still cause significant illness, especially in those who are not protected. We are watching those trends closely,” Suttorp said.
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