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South Zone reports first flu death of the season

Dec 15, 2016 | 12:48 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — One person has died from influenza in the South Zone, Alberta Health Services has reported.

AHS released its weekly report for the flu season on Thursday, confirming the second death of the flu season has occurred in the zone, which includes Medicine Hat and Lethbridge.

James Frey, acting communications director with the AHS South Zone, says AHS will not reveal where in the zone the death was reported, and also could not reveal any information about the person who had passed away.

The first flu death of the season was reported in Calgary earlier this month.

So far this season, 189 Albertans have been admitted to the hospital with the flu, with 21 of thsoe coming from the South Zone.

Frey reminds Albertans if they haven’t done so already to get immunized. While formal flu clinics are finished for the year, pharmacists and family physicians are still able to administer the vaccine.

More than one million flu vaccines have been administered in Alberta since the start of the flu season.

In Saskatchewan, 10 new lab-confirmed cases of influenza were reported between December 4-10, bringing to total to 87 since September 1, according to the province’s weekly influenza report. To date, there have been no deaths reported throughout the province related to the flu.