15 more influenza deaths reported in Manitoba

Children’s hospital issues holiday season warning CTV’s Katherine Dow has the latest on children’s hospital patient numbers, and a warning doctors have ahead of the holidays.

The Manitoba government says 15 more people have died from influenza this season.

The report, released Friday afternoon, compiles data from the week of Dec. 11 to Dec. 17. It shows the death toll from influenza in Manitoba has increased from 22 to 37.

Of the deaths from influenza this season, the province says 70 per cent of influenza-associated deaths are in people age 65 and older.

CTV News has reached to the province for more details about the deaths reported.

There were 294 influenza A cases reported during the week. The test-positivity rate was 13.6 per cent, down from 27.2 % the previous week. The national rate this week was 17.4 per cent.

The report says 48 people have been admitted to hospital this week due to seasonal influenza, though no ICU admissions were reported.

On the COVID-19 front, the province says 158 new cases were detected, a slight increase from 154 cases the week before. The weekly test positivity rate increased slightly, from 11.4 per cent last week to 11.8 per cent this week. The number of COVID-19 deaths increased to 26 this week, bringing the total to 229 deaths.

The province’s next surveillance report will be released on January 6.