‘Significant influenza activity’: Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer urges vaccination

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s Chief Provincial Public Health Officer, breaks down what to know this winter: flu, RSV, measles, COVID and more.

Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer is urging residents to get vaccinated following “significant influenza activity” plaguing the province.

Dr. Brent Roussin told CTV Your Morning Winnipeg the province has been experiencing an increasing test positivity for influenza over the past few weeks—predominantly led by influenza subtype H3N2.

According to the province’s latest respiratory virus surveillance report, 148 influenza cases were recorded during the week beginning on Nov. 16. During that same time, 29 people were admitted to hospital due to the respiratory virus, with three people admitted to an intensive care unit as a result.

“It’s easily transmitted when people cough or sneeze or are just in close contact with somebody who is ill and can cause quite a severe respiratory illness with secondary complications,” Roussin said.

The province’s report also notes that influenza played a role in one fatality during that week, though Roussin said influenza deaths happen each year.

“Every year, we see significant impacts on individuals, on families, and on the health care system with respiratory virus season,” Roussin said. “And so, it’s upon us to protect ourselves… Anyone who’s eligible to receive that vaccine for both COVID and influenza, we highly recommend it.”

Over 273,000 influenza vaccines have been administered this season since August, according to the province’s respiratory virus surveillance report.

Roussin said the province is seeing a “small decline” in COVID-19 cases as influenza cases pick up but added that the non-seasonal virus is still causing “significant issues.”

-With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagacé