[Rerun]

http://www.chtv.com/ch/chcanews/story.html?id=2128601

Flu clusters have broken out in more than 25 schools across the province, with rates of absenteeism climbing above 10 per cent in the last week. Some schools reported days when nearly 30 per cent of the students stayed home sick.

In the first 20 schools, swabs taken from students confirmed the sickness was due to the H1N1 flu strain rather than the seasonal influenza.

Hospitalizations have also slightly risen, although numbers fluctuate daily. To date, 160 Albertans suffering from severe symptoms have been admitted to hospital.
Of those, 16 were hospitalized in the past couple of days--the highest number seen since the first wave this spring.

"We are certainly expecting that this trend will accelerate, as it is happening also in other parts of the country," said Dr. Andre Corriveau, Alberta's chief medical officer of health.

"I urge all Albertans to get this vaccine, not only to protect themselves, but to protect those that are around them who may be at higher risk, and to do as much as we can to stop the spread of the virus as soon as possible over this coming season."