A third person died from H1N1 in Nova Scotia during the past week.
In his latest update yesterday, the province’s chief medical officer, Dr. Robert Strang, said an elderly woman believed to have chronic health problems was the latest victim to succumb to swine flu.
Earlier in the day, Capital Health CEO Chris Power said H1N1 has cost them $760,000 so far, adding she believes the department of health will pay the cost overruns at the end of the year — saving the health authority from deficit.
She also said staff absences have been lower than expected. Capital Health had been bracing for flu-like illness to impact 30 per cent of absences. Instead that number has wavered between four and 20 per cent, which Power compared to a five out of 10 on their preparation scale.
About 90 surgeries have had to be postponed in the last week.
Capital Health is on pace for a “minor deficit” of $2.5 million aside from H1N1 costs, Power said, but she believes they will be in the black by the end of the fiscal year.
