FluWatch report: October 2, 2022 to October 15, 2022 (weeks 40-41)

On this page

• Influenza/Influenza-like Illness Activity - Geographic Spread
• Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza Detections
• Syndromic / Influenza-like Illness Surveillance
• Influenza Outbreak Surveillance
• Influenza Severe Outcomes Surveillance
• Influenza Strain Characterization
• Antiviral Resistance
• Influenza Vaccine Monitoring
• Provincial and International Influenza Reports

Influenza/Influenza-like Illness Activity - Geographic Spread

In week 41, one region in Ontario reported localized activity and 22 regions in six provinces reported sporadic influenza activity (N.S., N.B., Que., Ont., Sask. and Alta.) (Figure 1).

Number of Regions Reporting in Week 41: 39 out of 53

Figure 1 - Text description

Province	Influenza Surveillance Region	Activity Level
N.L.	Eastern	No Activity
N.L.	Labrador-Grenfell	No Activity
N.L.	Central	No Activity
N.L.	Western	No Activity
P.E.I.	Prince Edward Island	No Data
N.S.	Zone 1 - Western	No Activity
N.S.	Zone 2 - Northern	Sporadic
N.S.	Zone 3 - Eastern	No Activity
N.S.	Zone 4 - Central	Sporadic
N.B.	Region 1	Sporadic
N.B.	Region 2	Sporadic
N.B.	Region 3	No Activity
N.B.	Region 4	No Activity
N.B.	Region 5	No Activity
N.B.	Region 6	No Activity
N.B.	Region 7	No Activity
Que.	Nord-est	No Activity
Que.	Québec et Chaudieres-Appalaches	Sporadic
Que.	Centre-du-Québec	Sporadic
Que.	Montréal et Laval	Sporadic
Que.	Ouest-du-Québec	Sporadic
Que.	Montérégie	Sporadic
Ont.	Central East	Sporadic
Ont.	Central West	Localized
Ont.	Eastern	Sporadic
Ont.	North East	Sporadic
Ont.	North West	Sporadic
Ont.	South West	Sporadic
Ont.	Toronto	Sporadic
Man.	Northern Regional	No Data
Man.	Prairie Mountain	No Data
Man.	Interlake-Eastern	No Data
Man.	Winnipeg	No Data
Man.	Southern Health	No Data
Sask.	North	No Activity
Sask.	Central	Sporadic
Sask.	South	Sporadic
Alta.	North Zone	Sporadic
Alta.	Edmonton	Sporadic
Alta.	Central Zone	Sporadic
Alta.	Calgary	Sporadic
Alta.	South Zone	Sporadic
B.C.	Interior	No Data
B.C.	Fraser	No Data
B.C.	Vancouver Coastal	No Data
B.C.	Vancouver Island	No Data
B.C.	Northern	No Data
Y.T.	Yukon	No Activity
N.W.T.	North	No Activity
N.W.T.	South	No Activity
Nvt.	Qikiqtaaluk	No Data
Nvt.	Kivalliq	No Data
Nvt.	Kitimeot	No Data

Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza Detections

In week 41, a total of 246 laboratory detections (238 influenza A and 8 influenza B) were reported. Influenza activity remains within the interseasonal levels typically seen at this time of year.

The following results were reported from sentinel laboratories across Canada in week 41 (Figures 2 and 3):

• The weekly percentage of tests positive for influenza increased from 0.7% in week 39 to 1.6% in week 41 and is within expected pre-pandemic levels.
• Among subtyped influenza A detections, 86% (87) were influenza A(H3N2) and 14% (14) were influenza A(H1N1).

To date this season (August 28, 2022 to October 15, 2022), 652 influenza detections were reported:

• 95% (619) were influenza A.
• Among subtyped influenza A detections (342), influenza A(H3N2) accounted for 77% of detections.

Detailed information on age and type/subtype has been received for 396 laboratory-confirmed influenza detections (Figure 4). Among the 396 detections, 177 (45%) were in individuals aged 0-19 years old and 91 (23%) were in individuals 20-44 years old.

For more detailed weekly and cumulative influenza data, see the text descriptions for Figures 2 and 3 or the Respiratory Virus Detections in Canada Report.

Number of Laboratories Reporting in Week 41: 32 out of 34

The shaded area indicates weeks where the positivity rate was at least 5% and a minimum of 15 positive tests were observed, signalling the period of seasonal influenza activity.

Figure 2 - Text description

Surveillance Week	A(Unsubtyped)	A(H3N2)	A(H1N1)	Influenza B	Percent Positive A	Percent Positive B
35	13	10	2	3	0.2	0.0
36	9	5	1	6	0.1	0.1
37	18	9	3	3	0.2	0.0
38	26	34	20	3	0.5	0.0
39	41	53	22	4	0.7	0.0
40	62	66	16	6	1.0	0.0
41	132	87	14	8	1.6	0.1

The shaded area represents the maximum and minimum number of influenza tests or percentage of tests positive reported by week from seasons 2014-2015 to 2019-2020. Data from week 11 of the 2019-2020 season onwards are excluded from the historical comparison due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The epidemic threshold is 5% tests positive for influenza. When it is exceeded, and a minimum of 15 weekly influenza detections are reported, a seasonal influenza epidemic is declared.

Figure 3 - Text description

Percentage of influenza tests positive in Canada by surveillance week. Comparison of 2022–2023 influenza season to previous seasons

Surveillance Week	Percentage of tests positive, 2022-2023	Percentage of tests positive, 2021-2022	Percentage of tests positive, 2020-2021	Maximum Percentage of Tests Positive	Minimum Percentage of Tests Positive	Average Percentage of Tests Positive
35	0.2	0.0	0.0	1.9	0.1	0.8
36	0.2	0.0	0.0	2.3	0.3	1.1
37	0.3	0.0	0.0	1.8	0.4	1.0
38	0.5	0.0	0.0	2.4	0.5	1.3
39	0.7	0.0	0.0	2.9	0.7	1.7
40	1.0	0.0	0.0	2.3	1.1	1.7
41	1.6	0.1	0.0	3.0	1.3	1.7
42	-	0.1	0.0	3.4	0.9	2.2
43	-	0.1	0.0	5.3	0.8	2.8
44	-	0.2	0.1	8.5	1.2	3.7
45	-	0.1	0.0	10.1	1.4	4.6
46	-	0.2	0.0	14.1	1.5	6.1
47	-	0.2	0.1	15.4	1.4	7.7
48	-	0.3	0.1	18.2	0.8	10.6
49	-	0.3	0.0	19.7	1.6	13.0
50	-	0.3	0.0	27.0	2.4	16.8
51	-	0.2	0.0	29.1	3.3	20.1
52	-	0.1	0.0	34.5	4.3	24.5
1	-	0.1	0.0	31.7	5.8	23.4
2	-	0.1	0.0	29.1	7.1	23.0
3	-	0.1	0.0	30.1	12.2	23.6
4	-	0.1	0.0	29.5	15.9	24.0
5	-	0.0	0.0	30.6	19.6	24.9
6	-	0.1	0.0	32.4	17.9	25.0
7	-	0.0	0.0	32.5	16.3	25.1
8	-	0.1	0.0	32.9	17.5	25.1
9	-	0.1	0.0	34.3	16.8	24.6
10	-	0.2	0.0	36.0	16.0	23.2
11	-	0.3	0.0	31.4	16.2	21.4
12	-	0.9	0.0	30.0	15.0	20.1
13	-	1.5	0.0	28.3	14.5	19.6
14	-	2.5	0.0	23.2	12.7	17.9
15	-	3.9	0.0	20.7	11.9	16.3
16	-	7.0	0.0	18.5	11.6	14.5
17	-	9.7	0.0	17.3	9.8	12.8
18	-	11.3	0.0	13.0	7.9	10.3
19	-	12.6	0.0	11.9	5.0	9.0
20	-	10.4	0.0	9.1	3.2	7.2
21	-	9.8	0.0	7.4	3.0	5.6
22	-	8.4	0.0	5.0	2.2	3.9
23	-	7.0	0.0	4.4	0.9	2.9
24	-	5.0	0.0	4.4	0.8	2.2
25	-	3.0	0.0	3.9	0.6	1.9
26	-	2.3	0.0	3.1	0.7	1.8
27	-	1.2	0.0	2.8	0.4	1.5
28	-	0.8	0.0	1.8	0.4	0.9
29	-	0.7	0.0	1.6	0.5	1.1
30	-	0.4	0.0	1.5	0.5	0.9
31	-	0.3	0.0	1.9	0.6	1.1
32	-	0.2	0.0	1.2	0.5	0.9
33	-	0.2	0.0	1.7	0.4	0.9
34	-	0.2	0.0	1.6	0.4	0.9

Laboratory data notes:

Testing for influenza and other respiratory viruses has been influenced by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in laboratory testing practices may affect the comparability of data to previous seasons.
Due to different testing protocols of laboratories across Canada, some influenza A subtype detection counts may not be included in total influenza A detection counts and percent positivity calculations.

Figure 4 - Text description

a) Proportion of influenza A and B by age-group

Age Group	Proportion of Influenza A	Proportion of Influenza B	Total Number Influenza Detections
0 to 4	91.5%	8.5%	59
5 to 19	96.6%	3.4%	118
20 to 44	94.5%	5.5%	91
45 to 64	95.5%	4.5%	44
65+	92.9%	7.1%	84

b) Proportion of subtyped influenza A(H1N1) and A(H3N2) by age-group

Age Group	Proportion of A(H1N1)	Proportion of A(H3N2)	Total Number of Subtyped Influenza Detections
0 to 4	25.7%	74.3%	35
5 to 19	16.0%	84.0%	81
20 to 44	15.0%	85.0%	60
45 to 64	29.0%	71.0%	31
65+	22.4%	77.6%	49

Syndromic / Influenza-like Illness Surveillance

Healthcare Practitioners Sentinel Surveillance

In week 41, 1.7% of visits to healthcare professionals were due to influenza-like illness (ILI). The percentage of visits for ILI is within levels typical of this time of year.

Since the beginning of the surveillance season, the percentage of visits for ILI has been within or near expected pre-pandemic levels (Figure 5). ILI symptoms are not specific to any one respiratory pathogen and can be due to influenza, or other respiratory viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus and even SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

This indicator should be interpreted with caution as there have been changes in healthcare seeking behavior of individuals and a smaller number of sentinels reporting compared to previous seasons.

Number of participants reporting in week 41: 37

The shaded area represents the maximum and minimum percentage of percentage of participants reporting cough and fever by week, from seasons 2014-2015 to 2019-2020. Data from week 11 of the 2019-2020 season onwards are excluded from the historical comparison due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Figure 5 - Text description

Surveillance Week	2022-2023	2021-2022	2020-2021	Average	Min	Max
35	0.6%	0.6%	0.1%	0.6%	0.4%	0.9%
36	0.9%	1.2%	0.2%	0.6%	0.4%	0.9%
37	0.7%	0.6%	0.4%	0.7%	0.5%	1.0%
38	0.8%	0.9%	0.3%	0.7%	0.6%	1.0%
39	1.0%	1.0%	0.4%	0.9%	0.5%	1.2%
40	0.7%	0.5%	0.2%	1.2%	0.8%	1.7%
41	1.7%	1.1%	0.4%	1.7%	0.8%	2.8%

FluWatchers

In week 41, 10,554 participants reported to FluWatchers, of which 2% reported symptoms of cough and fever (Figure 6). The percentage of FluWatchers who have reported cough and fever has slightly decreased since week 40 and remains within levels typically seen at this time of year.

The reports of cough and fever are not specific to any one respiratory pathogen and can be due to influenza, or other respiratory viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus, and even SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. FluWatchers reporting is not impacted by changes in health services or health seeking behaviours.

Among the 215 participants who reported cough and fever:

• 19% consulted a healthcare professional;
• 76% reported days missed from work or school, resulting in an average of 2.7 missed days from work or school among those 164 participants.

The Northwest Territories had the highest participation rate this week (47 participants per 100,000 population) and the neighbourhood with postal code, K0A had the highest number of participants (156). See what is happening in your neighbourhood! Downloadable datasets are also available on Open Maps.

If you are interested in becoming a FluWatcher, sign up today.

Number of Participants Reporting in Week 41: 10,554

The shaded area represents the maximum and minimum percentage of percentage of participants reporting cough and fever by week, from seasons 2014-2015 to 2019-2020. Data from week 11 of the 2019-2020 season onwards are excluded from the historical comparison due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Figure 6 - Text description

Surveillance Week	2022-2023	2021-2022	2020-2021	Average	Min	Max
35	1.3%	0.2%	0.2%	N/A	N/A	N/A
36	1.2%	0.3%	0.2%	N/A	N/A	N/A
37	1.6%	0.5%	0.4%	N/A	N/A	N/A
38	1.8%	0.5%	0.3%	N/A	N/A	N/A
39	2.3%	0.5%	0.4%	N/A	N/A	N/A
40	2.4%	0.6%	0.5%	2.5%	2.2%	2.7%
41	2.0%	0.5%	0.4%	2.2%	1.8%	2.6%
42	N/A	0.4%	0.3%	1.8%	1.6%	2.0%
43	N/A	0.5%	0.2%	1.9%	1.5%	2.2%
44	N/A	0.5%	0.3%	1.6%	1.4%	1.8%
45	N/A	0.5%	0.3%	1.8%	1.4%	2.3%
46	N/A	0.4%	0.3%	1.8%	1.2%	2.2%
47	N/A	0.6%	0.3%	1.9%	1.4%	2.4%
48	N/A	0.5%	0.3%	2.4%	1.7%	3.4%
49	N/A	0.4%	0.2%	2.6%	2.0%	3.2%
50	N/A	0.6%	0.1%	2.9%	2.1%	3.8%
51	N/A	1.0%	0.2%	3.2%	2.5%	3.9%
52	N/A	1.5%	0.1%	4.0%	2.8%	5.4%
1	N/A	1.1%	0.1%	3.8%	2.9%	4.8%
2	N/A	1.0%	0.2%	2.9%	1.9%	3.9%
3	N/A	0.8%	0.1%	3.3%	2.3%	4.8%
4	N/A	0.6%	0.1%	3.1%	2.1%	4.2%
5	N/A	0.6%	0.2%	3.2%	2.6%	3.6%
6	N/A	0.5%	0.1%	3.5%	2.8%	4.3%
7	N/A	0.4%	0.2%	3.2%	2.6%	3.8%
8	N/A	0.5%	0.1%	3.1%	2.5%	3.6%
9	N/A	0.5%	0.1%	2.8%	2.4%	3.5%
10	N/A	0.6%	0.2%	2.6%	2.1%	3.1%
11	N/A	0.9%	0.2%	2.3%	1.9%	2.6%
12	N/A	1.2%	0.2%	2.6%	2.5%	2.8%
13	N/A	1.8%	0.2%	2.5%	2.0%	3.1%
14	N/A	2.3%	0.2%	2.1%	1.3%	2.6%
15	N/A	1.9%	0.2%	1.8%	1.6%	1.9%
16	N/A	1.9%	0.1%	2.0%	1.5%	2.4%
17	N/A	1.6%	0.2%	1.7%	1.4%	2.3%
18	N/A	1.4%	0.2%	1.5%	1.2%	2.1%
19	N/A	1.3%	0.1%	N/A	N/A	N/A
20	N/A	1.2%	0.2%	N/A	N/A	N/A
21	N/A	1.2%	0.1%	N/A	N/A	N/A
22	N/A	1.2%	0.1%	N/A	N/A	N/A
23	N/A	1.2%	0.1%	N/A	N/A	N/A
24	N/A	1.3%	0.1%	N/A	N/A	N/A
25	N/A	1.3%	0.1%	N/A	N/A	N/A
26	N/A	1.8%	0.2%	N/A	N/A	N/A
27	N/A	2.0%	0.1%	N/A	N/A	N/A
28	N/A	1.9%	0.2%	N/A	N/A	N/A
29	N/A	1.8%	0.2%	N/A	N/A	N/A
30	N/A	1.6%	0.2%	N/A	N/A	N/A
31	N/A	1.3%	0.2%	N/A	N/A	N/A
32	N/A	1.2%	0.3%	N/A	N/A	N/A
33	N/A	1.4%	0.3%	N/A	N/A	N/A
34	N/A	1.3%	0.5%	N/A	N/A	N/A

Influenza Outbreak Surveillance

In week 41, there were no laboratory-confirmed influenza outbreaks in long-term care facilities in Canada.
To date this season (August 28, 2022 to October 15, 2022):

• 5 laboratory-confirmed influenza outbreak have been reported
• 4 were in long-term care facilities and 1 was in a facility categorized as ‘other’
• All but one outbreak were due to influenza A, of which 2 were due to influenza A(H3N2) and the remaining were due to influenza A unsubtyped.
• 3 ILI outbreaks have been reported
  • All ILI outbreaks have been reported in schools and/or daycares.

Outbreaks of ILI are not specific to any one respiratory pathogen and can be due influenza, or other respiratory viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus, and even COVID-19. Many respiratory viruses in addition to the flu commonly circulate during the fall and winter, and can cause clusters of cases with respiratory illness which could be captured as ILI.

Number of provinces and territories^{Footnote 1} reporting in week 41: 9 out of 13

Influenza Severe Outcomes Surveillance

Provincial/Territorial Influenza Hospitalizations and Deaths

In week 41, less than 5 influenza-associated hospitalizations and no ICU admissions were reported by participating provinces and territories^{Footnote 2}.

To date this season (August 28, 2022 to October 15, 2022) among participating provinces and territories, 18 influenza-associated hospitalizations and less than 5 ICU admissions were reported.

Number of provinces and territories reporting in week 41: 7 out of 9

Pediatric Influenza Hospitalizations and Deaths

In week 41, less than five influenza-associated pediatric (≤16 years of age) hospitalizations were reported by the Immunization Monitoring Program Active (IMPACT) network.

To date this season (August 28, 2022 to October 15, 2022), 5 pediatric influenza-associated hospitalizations have been reported.

Influenza Strain Characterization

The National Microbiology Laboratory has not yet reported influenza strain characterization results for influenza viruses collected during the 2022-2023 season.

Antiviral Resistance

The National Microbiology Laboratory has not yet reported antiviral resistance results for influenza viruses collected during the 2022-2023 season.

Influenza Vaccine Monitoring

Vaccine monitoring refers to activities related to the monitoring of influenza vaccine coverage and effectiveness.

Vaccine Coverage

Influenza vaccine coverage estimates for the 2022-2023 season are anticipated to be available in February or March 2023.

Vaccine Effectiveness

Influenza vaccine effectiveness estimates for the 2022-2023 season are anticipated to be available in February or March 2023.

Provincial and International Surveillance Links

See Influenza surveillance resources

Notes

The data in the FluWatch report represent surveillance data available at the time of writing. All data are preliminary and may change as updates are received.

To learn more about the FluWatch program, see the Overview of influenza monitoring in Canada page.

For more information on the flu, see our Flu (influenza) web page.

We would like to thank all the FluWatch surveillance partners participating in this year's influenza surveillance program.

This report is available on the Government of Canada Influenza webpage.

Ce rapport est disponible dans les deux langues officielles.