Alberta Canada 2025-26 flu season

[Commonground]

First flu death of the season in Alberta amid warnings about potentially tough months ahead

​ Nov 09, 2025​
Alberta has marked the province's first influenza death of this year's flu season, after last year's season proved the deadliest in more than a decade.
The province's respiratory virus dashboard shows a person in their 60s living in the central zone has died due to influenza.

During the 2024-2025 flu season, 237 Albertans died due to influenza, with more than 3,700 people hospitalized.

The timing of this year's first influenza death is on par with what health officials might see in other years, said Dr. James Talbot, Alberta's former chief medical officer of health.

"We're well and truly into the beginning of influenza season," said Talbot.

So far, more than 100 people in Alberta have been hospitalized with influenza this season, with eight patients treated in intensive care.

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Flu shot might not match strain

It comes as some infectious disease specialists are warning of a potentially tough flu season thanks to an evolving strain of H3N2 that might be incongruent with the make-up of this year's flu vaccine.

• Canada could face ‘worst kind’ of flu season as experts warn evolving strain may be mismatch for vaccine

• If Australia is any indication, Alberta could be in for a tough flu season

more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-first-flu-death-9.6972740
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[Commonground]

[This article states 6 have died this Season. It is 3 Flu and 3 Covid], see post #3 below]

Doctors urge vaccination as influenza upswing hits Alberta

​November 24, 2025

Influenza is starting to surge in Alberta, and hospitals are getting busier as doctors brace for what could be an intense few months ahead.

The province’s flu positivity rate more than tripled to 11.5 per cent during the second week of November, from 3.4 per cent two weeks earlier.

“It's a pretty solid upswing. The season has started," said Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Alberta Hospital.
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"We have had an uptick in the number of people admitted to hospital. And, as usually happens, it seems to start in Calgary first."

The flu has been responsible for 251 hospitalizations, including 158 in the Calgary zone alone, so far this season. Seventeen Albertans have been admitted to the ICU and six people have died.

The latest data shows 74 people were in hospital due to influenza as of Nov. 15, a nearly three-fold increase in two weeks.​
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Worrying signs

The surge is playing out amid worrying international flu trends, according to Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan. Japan is experiencing an early and harsh flu season, she noted. Influenza is also hitting early in the United Kingdom.
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“It looks like this variant is kind of gaining momentum. And it's possible that this variant does have some type of transmission or fitness advantage over the old variants of H3N2," said Rasmussen.

National data shows most of the Canadian H3N2 cases sequenced are the new variant.
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“Last year was a record flu season for Alberta, for all of Canada, for all of the United States. And one of my biggest concerns is that this year we're going to outdo that potentially,” said Rasmussen.
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Avian flu, too

Adding to the uncertainty is a recent rise of avian influenza outbreaks on farms in Canada and the U.S., said Rasmussen.

With more bugs circulating, there is a higher chance that two influenza viruses could infect the same person at the same time. When that happens, mixing (or reassortment) can occur, where the viruses essentially swap genetic material, creating a new virus.

That has the potential to lead to a pandemic strain, Rasmussen said, if the virus acquires the ability to transmit well between humans.

“Our continent is essentially full of bird flu, and now there's going to be a lot of human seasonal flu in the mix as well," said Rasmussen.

"It means that the risk is elevated. And so that's what causes me and a lot of my colleagues who think about this a lot to lose sleep at night.”
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​https://ca.news.yahoo.com/doctors-urge-vaccination-influenza-upswing-120000093.html

 

[Commonground]

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**Number of influenza, RSV or COVID-19 cases in hospital (ICU and non-ICU) with a primary or contributing cause due to disease as of the last day of the reporting period. Please note, information on reason for hospitalization may be delayed and numbers are subject to change.

Note: People with coinfections/mixed infections (e.g. diagnosed with both influenza A (H1N1) and COVID-19) will be counted towards each total for which they have a positive lab result.​

https://www.alberta.ca/stats/dashboard/respiratory-virus-dashboard.htm?data=highlights#highlights

 

[Commonground]

The Government of Alberta has started reporting respiratory virus data twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Data posted on Tuesdays is considered preliminary and subject to change as more information becomes available. Thursday updates will provide a more comprehensive view of the previous week.​


Weekly highlights – Data from December 07, 2025 to December 13, 2025​
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Influenza Severe Outcomes


Total hospital admissions, ICU admissions, and deaths among laboratory-confirmed seasonal influenza cases in Alberta by age group, 2025-2026
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https://www.alberta.ca/stats/dashbo...oard.htm?data=severe-outcomes#severe-outcomes

 

[Commonground]

Alberta hospitals brace for peak flu pressure as Calgary bears brunt of surge

​Updated: December 20, 2025 at 12:36PM EST
Published: December 19, 2025 at 7:16PM EST
video at site.

Alberta’s health-care system is under strain as influenza cases surge sharply across the province, and Calgary hospitals are absorbing a disproportionate share of the pressure with rising hospitalizations, intensive care admissions and a growing death toll.

As of Dec. 13, Alberta has recorded 5,996 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases, according to provincial data, with 1,262 people hospitalized, 86 admitted to intensive care and 39 deaths linked to the virus.

Test positivity sits at 34.6 per cent, while only 17.7 per cent of Albertans have received a flu shot.

Calgary has emerged as a focal point of the outbreak. The Calgary zone has reported 2,756 cases—nearly half of the provincial total—resulting in 617 hospitalizations, 38 ICU admissions and 23 deaths.

Spread has accelerated rapidly.

Since Nov. 29, influenza cases in Alberta have increased 2.75 times, hospitalizations have more than doubled, ICU admissions have nearly tripled and 24 additional deaths have been recorded.

Health officials say the surge was expected as part of respiratory virus season but acknowledge this year’s influenza wave is hitting harder than usual, even as COVID-19 and RSV activity remain lower than in previous years.

Calgary hospitals activate surge plans as ER volumes rise

Emergency departments in Calgary and Edmonton are experiencing the heaviest pressure, with influenza A driving a steady influx of patients.

Continued: https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/arti...flu-pressure-as-calgary-bears-brunt-of-surge/
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