First flu death of the season in Alberta amid warnings of potentially difficult months ahead

Alberta marks the first influenza death in the province since this year’s flu season last year’s season It proved to be the deadliest in more than a decade.

provincial respiratory virus dashboard Shows that a man in his 60s living in the central region has died due to influenza.

During the 2024–2025 flu season, 237 Albertans died due to influenza, while more than 3,700 were hospitalized.

Dr. James Talbot, Alberta’s former chief medical officer of health, said the timing of this year’s first influenza death is on par with what health officials may have seen in other years.

“We’re really at the beginning of influenza season,” Talbot said.

More than 100 people in Alberta have been hospitalized with influenza so far this season, including eight patients treated in intensive care.

Some countries have already reported seeing the start of the flu season with an increased caseload, such as the UK where National Health Service warned Cases at the end of October were three times higher than the same period last year.

Countries in the Southern Hemisphere are grappling with severe flu seasons, which Talbot says could also be the case in Canada, where he expects a significant influenza season that will strain the health-care system.

“In Alberta, we run our hospitals and emergency departments at almost 100 per cent all the time,” Talbot said. “And that means it doesn’t take that many cases of respiratory — which would include both flu and COVID — to put emergency departments and hospitals in general under a lot of strain.”

Flu shot may not match the strain

This comes as some infectious disease experts are warning of a potentially tough flu season An evolving strain of H3N2 It may be incompatible with the composition of this year’s flu vaccine.

Dr. Joan Robinson, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Stollery Children’s Hospital, says this can happen sometimes.

She says because vaccines are developed months in advance, they may not perfectly match the strains circulating in a few years.

But she still recommends getting vaccinated against this flu.

“It’s still worth getting the vaccine because we think that even if the response isn’t perfect, you’re still less likely to get influenza, and less likely to have severe disease,” Robinson said.

Robinson said these serious outcomes can often be seen in seniors or people with underlying conditions, but these are not the only groups that should be vaccinated.

“The flu is one of those horrible diseases where you get a cold but you feel like you got run over by a truck,” Robinson said. “So it’s definitely worth doing what you can to prevent it.”

Nearly half a million Albertans have rolled up their sleeves for a flu shot this season, representing more than 10 per cent of the province’s population, according to provincial data.

This is equivalent to half of last year’s total flu vaccinations, which saw the lowest percentage since the 2009–2010 season.

The current positivity rate for influenza is higher than the national average in Alberta: more than three per cent in Alberta compared to just two per cent nationwide. Federal data reported on Friday,

Robinson says that doesn’t mean Alberta is seeing more cases, but it could be that more people exhibiting flu-like symptoms are being tested for influenza.

COVID-19 cases this season

According to Dr. Talbot, COVID-19 remains a greater concern when it comes to respiratory viruses, as the risks of hospitalization and death are higher.

Provincial data shows there have been 36 COVID-19 deaths so far this season, two of which were in the latest week of reporting from Oct. 26 to Nov. 1.

This year, the province is charging most Albertans for the COVID-19 vaccine, except for health-care workers, continuing care home residents, homeless people and people who are immunocompromised or have underlying medical conditions.

For people who don’t fall into those categories, the shot costs $100.

Still, despite the added price tag this year, Talbot calls it a “bargain” compared to the protection offered by the vaccine, and recommends that shot as well as the flu vaccine.

“Can you take a few days off work?” Talbot said. “Do you want to take a chance on your holidays? If the answer is no… get your vaccination now so you’re immune by the time you’re exposed to the virus.”