Sask. had highest hospitalization rates for vaccine-preventable illnesses in 2024: Report

New data shows Saskatchewan had the highest provincial hospitalization rate for vaccine-preventable illnesses in 2024.

Saskatchewan had the highest hospitalization rate for vaccine-preventable respiratory illnesses among provinces in 2024, according to new data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

There were 199 hospitalizations per 100,000 people in Saskatchewan, compared to the national average of 142. CIHI says the national rate is more than double what it was in 2019, when it sat at 66 per 100,000.

Only the Yukon and Northwest Territories recorded higher rates than Saskatchewan in 2024, at 235 and 208 per 100,000 people.

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The report said delayed diagnoses and less access to preventative care methods in rural and remote areas can be factors to those numbers.

The vaccine-preventable respiratory illnesses surveyed in the report were COVID-19, influenza, pneumonia, and several other diseases.

In Canada in 2024, there were about 57,700 hospitalizations for vaccine-preventable respiratory diseases, with COVID-19 contributing to over 40 per cent of those.

Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) combined accounted for 51 per cent.