The Edmonton zone, which includes St. Albert, has been hit with the flu bug.
As of Nov. 8, there have been 86 confirmed cases of influenza A across the Edmonton zone, making it the second most sick place in the province.
Calgary has had 340 confirmed cases of the virus.
So far, there have been 519 flu cases across Alberta, with only nine of those cases identified as influenza B. The rest have been influenza A, similar to last year’s flu season.
According to the latest Alberta Health Services (AHS) numbers, there have been 21 hospitalizations from the virus in the Edmonton zone.
There have been no flu-related deaths in Alberta so far this year.
When it comes to flu vaccines, 238,041 people in the Edmonton zone have been vaccinated. Across Alberta, around 656,907 people have gotten their flu shot.
This year, the provincial health authority has made slight changes to its vaccination process. In previous years, prior to receiving the immunization a health official would have provided information about Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a condition that causes paralysis throughout the body.
AHS said the pre-shot talk was dropped from the routine because of the rarity of developing the condition. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, about one in 100,000 people will develop the syndrome each year.
People who get the flu shot will still be instructed to wait 15 minutes at the clinic to make sure they haven’t developed it.
Jasmine Hasselback, medical officer for AHS Edmonton zone, said in a phone interview that those who don’t get the shot are twice as likely to develop the syndrome from contracting the flu.
Flu clinics run at St. Albert Inn and Suites on Thursday from 12:15 to 8 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. To see more times visit: https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/.
