Pathfinder
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H1N1 cases may have peaked: N.L. officials
16/11/2009 4:22:36 PM
CBC News
There were signs Monday that cases of H1N1 in Newfoundland and Labrador have peaked, health officials say.
The latest figures, released during a news conference given by Health Minister Jerome Kennedy and Faith Stratton, the province's chief medical officer, show that only 17 people ended up in hospital over the past 24 hours. Of those, only two required a stay in intensive care and only one had to go on a ventilator.
Stratton told reporters the numbers, which have been declining since last week, suggest the province has passed the peak of the swine flu pandemic.
"Another piece of information that also gives us some hope that that is actually happening is that of the tests that are coming or the specimens that are coming into the laboratory - the public health laboratory for testing - we're seeing lower percentages of those being positive," she said.
The news comes as more people were given access to the H1N1 vaccine Monday, including people under 65 with chronic diseases and Grade Four to Grade Six students.
Health Minister Jerome Kennedy also announced the province's junior high students will start getting the H1N1 vaccine later this week after the province received more than 18,000 doses Sunday night.
"I'm very pleased that we are continuing to move through our school children and I would really hope that we could finish our school students next week, he said. "I think that would put us far ahead of the rest of this country."
There are currently 119 people in hospital with flu-like symptoms. Of that number, 20 are in intensive care units and 14 are on ventilators.
So far the province has reported seven deaths that are H1N1-related, including a 29-year-old woman who died on Saturday.
http://news.sympatico.cbc.ca/Local/...line=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=True
16/11/2009 4:22:36 PM
CBC News
There were signs Monday that cases of H1N1 in Newfoundland and Labrador have peaked, health officials say.
The latest figures, released during a news conference given by Health Minister Jerome Kennedy and Faith Stratton, the province's chief medical officer, show that only 17 people ended up in hospital over the past 24 hours. Of those, only two required a stay in intensive care and only one had to go on a ventilator.
Stratton told reporters the numbers, which have been declining since last week, suggest the province has passed the peak of the swine flu pandemic.
"Another piece of information that also gives us some hope that that is actually happening is that of the tests that are coming or the specimens that are coming into the laboratory - the public health laboratory for testing - we're seeing lower percentages of those being positive," she said.
The news comes as more people were given access to the H1N1 vaccine Monday, including people under 65 with chronic diseases and Grade Four to Grade Six students.
Health Minister Jerome Kennedy also announced the province's junior high students will start getting the H1N1 vaccine later this week after the province received more than 18,000 doses Sunday night.
"I'm very pleased that we are continuing to move through our school children and I would really hope that we could finish our school students next week, he said. "I think that would put us far ahead of the rest of this country."
There are currently 119 people in hospital with flu-like symptoms. Of that number, 20 are in intensive care units and 14 are on ventilators.
So far the province has reported seven deaths that are H1N1-related, including a 29-year-old woman who died on Saturday.
http://news.sympatico.cbc.ca/Local/...line=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=True
