Alberta’s chief medical officer of health says the worst of the province’s flu season is likely over.
Dr. Vivien Suttorp says hospitalizations for respiratory viruses peaked on Dec. 31, when there were 700 influenza patients — a number that has since dropped to 513.
It comes as the province grapples with a hospital system strained in part by a surge of cases.
“Respiratory virus seasons are always unpredictable, and this year is no exception. Our health system, like others across the country, has been under tremendous strain,” Suttorp told reporters Tuesday.
Suttorp said while test positivity rates and case counts for the dominant Influenza A are beginning to fall, that doesn’t mean the flu season is done.
She said Alberta is seeing increases in circulation of the Influenza B strain.
“Influenza B often emerges later in the season, and while these waves tend to be smaller and associated with milder outcomes in immunized Albertans, they can still cause significant illness, especially in those who are not protected,” she said.
She said the predominant virus circulating this season is a strain that is typically more severe than others, especially for those with chronic conditions, the elderly and the very young.
“That is a piece that is mainly driving the surge capacity challenge related to the influenza virus,” said Suttorp.
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She added there are currently 118 patients in hospital with COVID-19, and 85 with respiratory syncytial virus.
While Alberta’s government has pointed to the effects of the flu season on hospitals, some doctors have said it’s only the most recent wave to hit an already floundering, chronically under-resourced system.
Last week, physicians began sounding the alarm over what they’ve called a crisis in hospital capacity. They’ve been calling for emergency measures to help cope with the risks of long wait times and overcrowding in emergency rooms.
Alberta Medical Association president Dr. Brian Wirzba has said hospitals have been operating at over 110 per cent capacity for more than a year.
Opposition NDP hospitals critic Sarah Hoffman said in a statement Tuesday even with the peak of the current flu outbreak in the rear-view mirror, the health-care system is still in crisis and Premier Danielle Smith’s government needs to present a plan to address it.
“Overcrowding and long wait times for care didn’t start with respiratory viruses, and it won’t end without new actions being taken,” she said.
When asked about hospital policy and capacity, Suttorp directed reporters to Acute Care Alberta, which is expected to deliver an update along with the hospitals ministry on Thursday.
She reminded Albertans to stay home when they’re feeling sick, wash their hands, and get vaccinated to help prevent the spread.
Acute Care Alberta CEO David Diamond said in a statement Monday they are co-ordinating a provincewide response to create capacity and free up resources, including accelerating discharges and transfers where appropriate.
With the province’s immunization rate for influenza sitting at just over 19 per cent, Suttorp said 74 per cent of cases involving hospitalizations have not been vaccinated this year.
She said even though there has been “some mismatch” between this year’s influenza vaccine and the dominant strain, it still offers protection, especially against severe illness.
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