New data show influenza cases are still surging across the country, surpassing the highest positivity rate recorded in Canada over the last three seasons.
The Public Health Agency of Canada provided a brief update Tuesday on the viral season. It said the proportion of flu tests that came back positive hit 32.4 per cent in the week ending Dec. 20, up from nearly 28 per cent the previous week.
Infectious disease and public health experts have warned that this season could be the worst in recent years. The new data show the rate of illness has reached a grim milestone, overtaking the previous three-season high of 27.6 per cent by nearly five percentage points. The three-season time horizon covers a period of resurgence for the flu virus after pandemic restrictions briefly slowed its spread.
Flu seasons typically run between October and May.
There is a flicker of hope, however, in the brief update from PHAC. The national health agency said that “the weekly increase was smaller compared to previous weeks.”
It also noted that there was a smaller increase in symptoms among FluWatchers, a group of more than 9,000 nationwide volunteers who report whether they’ve had a cough and fever in the previous week. Nearly 5 per cent self-reported in the week ending Dec. 20, up from 4.1 the week prior.
It is not clear yet if Canada has reached its seasonal peak.
Flu season has hit Canadians hard and early, as cases continues to rise
PHAC will provide a full update next week with data covering the period of Dec. 20 to Jan. 3. The rates of COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, remain stable.
This flu season hit early and hard across Canada. Hospitals have been flooded with cases in recent weeks and public health officials in various provinces have issued warnings of the severity of the viral season and the need to get vaccinated.
Lower vaccination rates and the circulation of a problematic strain have been flagged as the reasons for the viral onslaught. The strain – influenza A(H3N2) subclade K – may be a mismatch for this year’s vaccine, however experts in infectious diseases have stressed that the shot will still offer some protection.
The youngest and the oldest are most at-risk for severe complications from the flu. Earlier this month, after three children died from flu-related complications over a two-week period in the Ottawa and Eastern Ontario regions, officials issued a “stark reminder” of how serious a flu infection can be.
Since August, nearly 5,500 people have been hospitalized with the flu, a fraction of whom have required intensive care. Seventy-four deaths have been reported so far this season.
PHAC did not provide an update Tuesday on severe outcomes.
A death in an Alberta ER last week has reignited frustrations about overcrowding and lengthy wait times for emergency care, which are exacerbated during flu season. Prashant Sreekumar, a 44-year-old father of three, died Dec. 22 in an Edmonton ER after waiting more than eight hours for care.
An investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Sreekumar’s death is under way, in addition to a review by Alberta’s medical examiner.