Public Health Agency of Canada says flu outbreak has begun as rates rise
The positivity rate nearly doubled from the last week of October to the first week of November
The Public Health Agency of Canada said the national flu positivity rate nearly doubled from the last week of October to the first week of November.
It said the test positivity rate for the week of Oct. 30 to Nov. 5 was 11.7 percent, compared with 6.3 percent the previous week.
The agency’s FluWatch report said Canada has now entered a flu pandemic, which was declared most years after the 5% positivity threshold was exceeded.
But it said flu levels were higher than expected compared with years before the pandemic. COVID-19 restrictions have greatly reduced the spread of influenza in 2020 and 2021.
The agency said there were 13 confirmed flu outbreaks in the first week of the month, nine in long-term care homes and one in schools or day care centers.
Healthcare systems are dealing with a triple threat of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19 and higher than normal levels of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus.
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