Swine Flu sends 5,438 Canadians to hospital, kills 279
Areas shaded dark blue show highest H1N1 activity.
By Salim Jiwa
OTTAWA – Canada has suffered 29 more fatalities from Swine Flu between Nov. 19 and Nov. 24 with 13 more people dead in Quebec along with four more in New Brunswick.
Up to Nov. 14, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada, 5,438 Canadians were hospitalized with severe H1N1 infection, 867 of them were taken to ICU and 417 patients required life support because of acute respiratory distress.
The latest deaths reported on Tuesday night takes Canada’s death toll to 279. Quebec reported 13 deaths, New Brunswick 4, Alberta 3, B.C. 2, Saskatchewan 2, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon and Northwest Territories reported 1 death each.
At the same time, the Public Health Agency of Canada says the week ending Nov. 14 proved to be devastating for severe Swine Flu illness with 1,674 hospitalizations across the country, 261 ICU admissions and 84 deaths to surpass all deaths that occurred in the first wave of the pandemic flu virus.
“The intensity of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in the population was high with 1,674 hospitalizations, 261 ICU admissions and 84 deaths reported this week,” said the latest available report from the PHAC.
“Hospitalized cases occurred in all provinces and territories (P/T) that reported this week while the deaths were from all P/T except MB, PE, YT, NT and NU,” it said.
“ From August 30 to November 14, 2009, a total of 3,965 hospitalized cases including 576 cases admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) (14.5%) as well as 142 deaths had been reported. Numbers of new deaths were more than two times higher than last week,” said the government health agency, weeks after some of the most vulnerable people were immunized across Canada.
“A total of 5,438 hospitalized cases including 867 cases admitted to ICU and 417 cases required ventilation as well as 219 deaths of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 were reported to PHAC since the beginning of the Pandemic,” it said.
”There was more than a two-fold increase in the number of deaths (84 vs. 35) and almost a two-fold increase in the number of ICU admissions (261 vs. 163) reported during week 45 as compared to week 44. The number of hospitalizations and deaths reported this week were higher than the overall number of hospitalizations and deaths for the first wave,” said the report released on the website of PHAC.
So far, 79 have died in Ontario, 78 in Quebec, 45 in Alberta, 34 in B.C., 11 in Saskatchewan, 9 in Manitoba, 8 in Newfoundland and Labrador, 6 in New Brunswick, 5 in Nova Scotia and 2 in Yukon as well as one each in NW and Nunavut.
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