Doctors say ER strain on the rise as flu surges
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While some emergency departments across Canada report that the rapid spread of influenza has contributed to overcrowding, as some children and adults suffer longer-lasting fevers, the latest federal report shows a picture of a slight decline in flu activity across the country.
The Public Health Agency of Canada reported that in the week ending December 27, 2025, 33.3 per cent of tests were positive, the highest value recorded in the past three seasons. on friday a federal snapshot As of January 3, flu positivity was reported to be 27.1 percent.
Parts of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Prince Edward Island reported wBroad activity against influenza.
Influenza A and B cause seasonal pandemics, with influenza A classified into subtypes. According to the World Health Organization, the current spike is driven by the H3N2 subclade, called K, which has mutations that do not cause more severe disease.
but may be one of several components mismatch This year’s flu shot, the target of which infectious disease doctors and public health officials stress, still protects against other flu subtypes and, importantly, offers protection against serious outcomes such as hospitalization in people of all ages, according to a U.K.-based study published in the journal Medicine. Eurosurveillance,
The early and rapid spread of the flu this season has contributed to the surge over the past few weeks at Toronto’s North York General Hospital, said Dr. Kevin Wasko, the hospital’s chief of emergency medicine.
Public Health Ontario reported flu According to the province, activity has declined over the past two weeks, “indicating that activity peaked during the week of December 14-20,” 2025. dashboard,
“We are now feeling the impact on our children of the many people admitted as a result of influenza A,” Wasko said. “Our hospital is full and so we are experiencing at the same time a lot of inpatients in our emergency department waiting to get a bed on a floor above.”
On Thursday, dozens of people were waiting there to be treated or admitted, and CBC News saw more than a handful of patients lying on stretchers in a hallway.
“It’s put a lot of strain on the system,” Wasko said. “But if you need our services, no one should hesitate.”
If someone can’t breathe, or they can’t keep anything down, or they’re so weak they can’t do their daily activities, they should come in, Wasco said. About 90 percent of patients are seen within three hours of presenting, he said, and he expects that rate to continue throughout the season.
In southwestern Ontario, the Erie Shores emergency department had shorter wait times than North York, but the trend of more children being affected is the same compared to previous years.
“We are seeing a greater number of admissions for influenza type A and we are seeing greater severity with respect to pediatric patients,” said Dr. Braden Hendy, chief of emergency medicine at Erie Shores Healthcare in Leamington, about 50 kilometers east of Windsor, Ontario.
New Brunswick Health Minister John Dornan says the increase in flu cases this year is a result of fewer people getting vaccinated. He says this problem is causing an increase in emergency department visits.
Influenza affects people of all ages with symptoms ranging from fever, cough, sometimes congestion and fatigue.
With subclade K, “We’re seeing kids having longer fevers, so maybe five to seven days, and maybe more people are having GI symptoms,” such as diarrhea, said Mark McKelvie, a regional medical officer of health for NL Health Services in Newfoundland.
pediatric infectious diseases Experts have noted that most children have not been exposed to the H3N2 strain, as it has not been the dominant strain for some seasons.
Trevor Charles, a professor of microbiology at the University of Waterloo who is working for York Region in his laboratory, said that in Ontario, the clinical picture of influenza matches what scientists are seeing in wastewater testing, with subtype K dominating.
Charles said the latest wastewater data will confirm whether the downward trends Ontario has reported so far persist as people gather over the holidays.
“Some of the patterns from late December are suggesting there may be a decline, but to confirm that we will have to see what the latest data shows,” Charles said.
