2 Island seniors die of flu, 54 hospitalized

P.E.I.'s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison says two Island seniors have died from flu.

For comparison purposes, last year P.E.I. saw a total of six deaths and 319 lab-confirmed cases of flu. In 2017, five people died. 

There have been 135 lab-confirmed cases so far this season, Morrison told CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin Wednesday, while 54 people needed to be hospitalized and five of those people had to go to the intensive care unit.

Morrison said the province produces a weekly summary of flu activity across the Island, the latest of which shows "that influenza is widely circulating throughout our community, in all parts of the province."

All the lab-confirmed cases have been influenza-A H1N1, the predominant strain of flu this year, she said.

Vaccine 70% effective

Young people are being affected more by H1N1 than other demographics, Morrison said, and the flu vaccine this year is about 70 per cent effective according to a mid-season study. 

Morrison said getting the vaccine reduces the chances of hospitalization if you do get sick with flu.

More than 60,000 flu vaccine doses have been distributed across P.E.I. so far.  

She said it's difficult to tell whether P.E.I. is at the peak of the flu season.

"It's certainly has gone up quickly in the last couple weeks," she said. "Then usually once it goes up it shouldn't stay up too long before it starts coming down, but we'll sort of go on a week-by-week basis."

More P.E.I. news