'Not high enough to keep our numbers down': Dr. Shahab stresses need for flu vaccination
Saskatchewan chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab is stressing the need for more people to get vaccinated against influenza.
Cases of the seasonal flu have surpassed those of COVID-19, according to the latest Community Respiratory Illness Surveillance Program (CRISP) report released by the province Thursday.
“We didn’t see [the flu] too much over the last two years,” said Dr. Shahab. “Now it’s coming back with a vengeance.”
Influenza increased from 68 cases in late October to 635 in the current week with a test positivity rate of 34.2 per cent. With a vaccination rate of just 19 per cent, Dr. Shahab is stressing the need for vaccination this season.
“It’s not high enough to keep our numbers down,” he said. “More importantly, influenza can be a serious illness, especially if you’re under the age of five or have underlining health conditions.”
“We’re doing a poor job in high-risk groups, especially for vaccination,” said Dr. Rupesh Chawla, a paediatric infectious disease specialist. “And remember, if you are getting vaccinated, you’re also protecting that high-risk population around you.”
Influenza hospitalization and ICU admissions increased with the majority of cases in children under 19 (37 per cent) or adults over 60-years old. (40 per cent).
Chawla said this was to be expected based on what happened during flu season in places like Australia.
“We knew that who got sick was school-aged children,” he said. “[They] were the ones most admitted to hospital and had the worst problems.”
Dr. Chawla believes three things attributed to the increase in cases: the poor vaccination rate; children’s increased ability to spread germs; a drop in simple respiratory health measures, like hand washing or coughing into your arm.
“The problem is that’s when things often get the worst,” he said. “When we start to lose that aspect that, ‘this is an important thing to do,’ we see those things increase.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels will take the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
NEW Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
NEW Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Defence attacks Stormy Daniels' credibility as she returns to the stand in Trump's hush money trial
Stormy Daniels will return to the witness stand Thursday in Donald Trump's hush money trial as the defence tries to undermine the credibility of the porn actor's salacious testimony about their alleged sexual encounter and the money she was paid to keep quiet.
With contactless screening tech, this Toronto startup hopes to catch breast cancer early — and save lives
Amid evidence of rising breast cancer rates among young women in Canada, one Toronto startup is offering a contactless and radiation-free device that can help doctors identify suspicious changes in breast tissue. The company, Linda Lifetech, says this can lead to earlier detection of breast cancer.
Tornadoes tear through southeastern U.S. as storms leave 3 dead
Forecasters warned a wave of dangerous storms in the U.S. could wash over parts of the South early Thursday, a day after severe weather with damaging tornadoes and large hail killed at least three people in the region.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.