By Charles Lefebvre

More than 1,000 Albertans hospitalized with influenza this season

Jan 14, 2019 | 3:23 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The number of Albertans who have been hospitalized with lab confirmed influenza this season has now crossed 1,000.

According to the most recent report from Alberta Health Services, a total of 1,007 Albertans have been admitted to the hospital as of January 5, 2019.

The South Zone, which includes Medicine Hat and Lethbridge, continues to rank the lowest in the province in the number of confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

The most recent report lists 45 people from the zone being hospitalized so far this season, with no deaths. A total of 270 confirmed cases of flu have been found in the zone this year.

The flu has been hitting Calgary the hardest. A total of 1,911 confirmed cases have been reported, with 455 people being admitted to hospital.

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Eight deaths have been reported in Calgary, along with six deaths in the Central Zone, five in Edmonton and one in the North Zone.

Nearly 1.2 million doses of flu vaccine have been administered this season, with 90,857 being administered in the South Zone.

Alberta Health Services says as of November 30, 62 per cent of AHS employees have been immunized. The report says 65 per cent of the employees at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital got their flu shot this year.

The full report can be viewed here. 

Influenza reports are released by AHS on Thursdays