After over a month with no new reported cases of the H1N1 virus in Ottawa, three new cases were reported in the last week, with one resulting in a fifth death.
Ottawa’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Isra Levy told a city committee on Thursday that a man under the age of 65 with underlying health conditions was the latest to die from complications related to H1N1.
To date, there have been 364 confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus in Ottawa, with 70 of those cases requiring a stay at a hospital.
Health officials can’t predict the severity of the next wave of H1N1 or the pressures it would put on the health system, but Levy is predicting a busier than normal flu season, with H1N1 circulating at the same time as the regular seasonal flu.
“We anticipate a busy, early flu season this year, but we feel confident that we are as ready as we can be,” said Levy.
A vaccine for the H1N1 virus is expected to be delivered in mid- to late November. It will be available to all, but will be given to higher risk groups first.
