Three Edmontonians died from the flu over a three-week period over the holiday season, doubling the total influenza-caused deaths in the city this season.
Between Dec. 14-Jan. 4, three Edmonton residents died as a result of the flu, Alberta Health Services said in its weekly report Thursday.
They were the only three flu-related deaths in this period across the province, bringing the total to nine. Before Dec. 14, three people in Edmonton died from the flu as well as one fatality in Calgary and the south and north zones of AHS. There were 52 flu deaths in Alberta in the 2018-19 season.
Across the province, Edmonton has also had the most hospitalizations as a result of the flu with 211, compared to Calgary with 179. There have been 489 confirmed cases of Influenza A and 197 cases of Influenza B in the city, the report said.
More than 428,000 Edmontonians have gotten the flu vaccine this season, which is offered for free at public health clinics, doctor’s offices and pharmacies across the city. About 1.3 million Albertans have been immunized this year, already more than the 31 per cent higher than last season. The provincial government paid $12.5 million for the influenza vaccine this season, enough to immunize 35 per cent of the population.