Alberta hits 86 flu deaths for the season
Worst total since province reported 103 in 2014-15
Alberta has recorded one of its deadliest flu seasons in the last two decades as 86 patients who contracted the virus have died over the last five months.
That’s the worst total since Alberta reported 103 flu-related deaths in 201415, which stands as the highest number on record since reliable statistics started being collected about 20 years ago. Prior to that, the deadliest season was 199899 with 82 deaths.
This season’s tally includes 30 deaths linked to influenza in the Calgary region, and 20 each in the Edmonton and central zones of the province. The north zone has recorded 10 deaths, while the south zone has six.
Alberta Health Services statistics also show more than 2,800 Albertans have been hospitalized with the bug, well above the 1,653 hospitalizations that occurred during the entire 2016-17 season.
Of the hospitalizations this season, about 37 per cent occurred in the Calgary region and 34 per cent in the Edmonton region.
More than 1.22 million doses of flu vaccine have been given to Albertans this year out of the 1.6 million doses that were available.
As for health workers, a report issued last month shows 67 per cent of AHS employees got the flu shot — the health agency’s highest total in five seasons.
Covenant Health recorded a staff immunization rate of 55 per cent, according to the report.
Among major Edmontonarea hospitals, 78 per cent of AHS workers at the Stollery Children’s Hospital received the shot, followed by the University of Alberta Hospital at 70 per cent and the Sturgeon Community Hospital at 69 per cent.
The Royal Alexandra Hospital had an immunization rate of 68 per cent, while staff at Covenant’s two hospitals — the Misericordia and Grey Nuns — recorded rates of 56 per cent and 52 per cent, respectively.
The latest provincial budget included $63.5 million for the purchase of all vaccines this coming year, an increase of $6.5 million or 11.4 per cent.
It’s unclear how much of that will go toward the purchase of flu shots, and whether there will be any increase above the $12.1 million spent this past year.