Weekly H1N1 Update and Summary, Dec. 13 to Dec. 19

Nova Scotia continues to experience decreased H1N1 activity across the province.

For the reporting period of Dec. 13 to Dec. 19, there have been:

• no new lab-confirmed H1N1 cases
• no new hospitalizations of people with lab-confirmed H1N1

As of Dec. 19, the province has distributed enough vaccine to immunize 63 per cent of the population, or more than 590,000 people.

Other highlights include:

• The percentage of emergency room visits with influenza-like illness has decreased to five per cent, down from six per cent for Dec. 6 to Dec. 12.
• The percentage of patients with influenza-like illness has decreased to one per cent from two per cent, as reported by physicians around the province.

The province publishes a report on respiratory illnesses, including H1N1, every Wednesday. It can be found at www.gov.ns.ca/hpp/h1n1/flu-activity.asp .

Healthlink 811, Nova Scotia's 24-hour telecare service, received 2,203 calls for the week of Dec. 13 to Dec. 19. The website, www.nshealthlink811.ca, had 324 visits.