Over 5,000 Albertans have caught the flu so far this season

Feb 6 2020, 11:33 pm

Flu season has hit Alberta hard this year.

According to Alberta Health Services, 5,428 cases of the flu have been confirmed in Alberta in the 2019/2020 influenza flu season.

This alarming stat comes after last year’s 30 flu-related deaths and over 6,000 confirmed influenza cases by the time all was said and done.

However, last year’s flu season pales in comparison to the 2017/2018 season, which reported 92 deaths and over 10,000 confirmed cases of influenza.

The decrease in illness from 2017/2018 to 2018/2019 may be due to the 75,000 additional doses of vaccine that were administered in the latter season, totalling 1,305,470 throughout the province.

Clinics have been administering the free vaccine for about four months now to 1,359,529 Albertans, though this accounts for just one-third of the province’s total population.

According to the twelfth week of data, released on February 6, 23 deaths have been reported so far this season, nearly half of which occurred in Edmonton.

influenza

Influenza data (Alberta Health Services)

AHS will be releasing weekly data tracking confirmed cases, locations, deaths related to, and more in regards to the spread of the virus.

Immunizations are available to all Albertans over the age of five, free of charge, at any AHS clinic, pharmacist, or physician.

Chandler WalterChandler Walter

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