Calgary accounts for over half of Alberta's flu cases, straining hospitals

Alberta's flu season, which began in late August, has produced 428 confirmed cases, and Calgary alone accounts for 238 of them, representing more than half of the province's total. The city has recorded 64 hospitalizations, five intensive-care admissions, and one death, with the majority of patients suffering from influenza A. Calgary also reports the highest numbers of Respiratory Syncytial Virus and COVID-19 infections, the latter causing one fatality.

The surge has pushed Alberta Health Services to near-full capacity for beds designated for respiratory illnesses, leading to overflowing waiting rooms and delayed treatments such as chemotherapy. Ambulances have been temporarily held back while patients are transferred, though officials note that such seasonal pressures are typical. A local physician and the president of the Alberta Medical Association attribute the situation partly to low flu-vaccination rates, citing insufficient provincial promotion.