FluWatch report: December 4 to December 10, 2022 (week 49)

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 49, almost all regions in Canada reported influenza activity with four regions in four provinces (P.E.I., Alta., B.C., and Y.T.) reporting widespread activity (Figure 1).

Number of Regions Reporting in Week 49: 49 out of 53

Figure 1 - Text description

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

Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza Detections

In week 49, a total of 9,393 laboratory detections (9,365 influenza A and 28 influenza B) were reported.

The following results were reported from sentinel laboratories across Canada in week 49 (Figures 2 and 3):

• The weekly percentage of tests positive for influenza has decreased from the previous week (23.7% in week 48 to 21.5% in week 49) and remains slightly above expected pre-pandemic levels.
• Among subtyped influenza A detections, 95% (1,685) were influenza A(H3N2) and 5% (87) were influenza A(H1N1).
• Among detections for which age information was reported (5,690), 2,156 (38%) of detections were in individuals aged 0-19 years old. The proportion of detections among individuals aged 0-19 years old has been slowly decreasing, whereas the proportion among adults, particularly seniors aged 65+ (27%) has been increasing in recent weeks.

To date this season (August 28, 2022 to December 10, 2022):

• 44,354 influenza detections were reported, of which 99% (44,225) were influenza A and among subtyped influenza A detections (15,472), influenza A(H3N2) accounted for 96% of detections.
• 27,160 laboratory-confirmed influenza detections with age information were reported, of which 12,309 (45%) were in individuals aged 0-19 years old (Figure 4).

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 49: 34 out of 35

Figure 2 - Text description

Surveillance Week	A(Unsubtyped)	A(H3N2)	A(H1N1)	Influenza B	Percent Positive A	Percent Positive B
35	12	10	2	3	0.2	0.0
36	9	5	1	5	0.1	0.0
37	19	9	3	2	0.2	0.0
38	26	35	20	3	0.5	0.0
39	44	53	22	5	0.7	0.0
40	63	66	16	4	1.0	0.0
41	120	110	20	1	1.4	0.0
42	217	204	11	9	2.4	0.1
43	417	595	23	6	5.6	0.0
44	1034	1351	54	7	10.9	0.0
45	1897	2268	69	11	16.0	0.0
46	3246	2965	97	16	19.8	0.1
47	5684	2870	159	16	23.7	0.0
48	7166	2552	110	13	23.6	0.0
49	7112	1685	87	28	21.5	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

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	1.5	0.1	0.0	3.0	1.3	1.7
42	2.5	0.1	0.0	3.4	0.9	2.2
43	5.6	0.1	0.0	5.3	0.8	2.8
44	10.9	0.2	0.1	8.5	1.2	3.7
45	16.0	0.1	0.0	10.1	1.4	4.6
46	19.9	0.2	0.0	14.1	1.5	6.1
47	23.8	0.2	0.1	15.4	1.4	7.7
48	23.7	0.3	0.1	18.2	0.8	10.6
49	21.5	0.3	0.0	19.7	1.6	13.0
50	N/A	0.3	0.0	27.0	2.4	16.8
51	N/A	0.2	0.0	29.1	3.3	20.1
52	N/A	0.1	0.0	34.5	4.3	24.5
1	N/A	0.1	0.0	31.7	5.8	23.4
2	N/A	0.1	0.0	29.1	7.1	23.0
3	N/A	0.1	0.0	30.1	12.2	23.6
4	N/A	0.1	0.0	29.5	15.9	24.0
5	N/A	0.0	0.0	30.6	19.6	24.9
6	N/A	0.1	0.0	32.4	17.9	25.0
7	N/A	0.0	0.0	32.5	16.3	25.1
8	N/A	0.1	0.0	32.9	17.5	25.1
9	N/A	0.1	0.0	34.3	16.8	24.6
10	N/A	0.2	0.0	36.0	16.0	23.2
11	N/A	0.3	0.0	31.4	16.2	21.4
12	N/A	0.9	0.0	30.0	15.0	20.1
13	N/A	1.5	0.0	28.3	14.5	19.6
14	N/A	2.5	0.0	23.2	12.7	17.9
15	N/A	3.9	0.0	20.7	11.9	16.3
16	N/A	7.0	0.0	18.5	11.6	14.5
17	N/A	9.7	0.0	17.3	9.8	12.8
18	N/A	11.3	0.0	13.0	7.9	10.3
19	N/A	12.6	0.0	11.9	5.0	9.0
20	N/A	10.4	0.0	9.1	3.2	7.2
21	N/A	9.8	0.0	7.4	3.0	5.6
22	N/A	8.4	0.0	5.0	2.2	3.9
23	N/A	7.0	0.0	4.4	0.9	2.9
24	N/A	5.0	0.0	4.4	0.8	2.2
25	N/A	3.0	0.0	3.9	0.6	1.9
26	N/A	2.3	0.0	3.1	0.7	1.8
27	N/A	1.2	0.0	2.8	0.4	1.5
28	N/A	0.8	0.0	1.8	0.4	0.9
29	N/A	0.7	0.0	1.6	0.5	1.1
30	N/A	0.4	0.0	1.5	0.5	0.9
31	N/A	0.3	0.0	1.9	0.6	1.1
32	N/A	0.2	0.0	1.2	0.5	0.9
33	N/A	0.2	0.0	1.7	0.4	0.9
34	N/A	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	99.7%	0.3%	4915
5 to 19	99.9%	0.1%	7394
20 to 44	99.6%	0.4%	5372
45 to 64	99.8%	0.2%	3202
65+	99.7%	0.3%	6277

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	3.1%	96.9%	2305
5 to 19	2.9%	97.1%	3164
20 to 44	5.2%	94.8%	2254
45 to 64	8.8%	91.2%	1303
65+	5.2%	94.8%	2515

Syndromic / Influenza-like Illness Surveillance

Healthcare Practitioners Sentinel Surveillance

In week 49, 4.0% of visits to healthcare professionals were due to influenza-like illness (ILI) (Figure 5). The percentage of visits for ILI remains above expected levels for this time of year.

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 SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This makes the percentage of visits for ILI an important indicator of overall respiratory illness morbidity in the community in the presence of co-circulating viruses.

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 Sentinels Reporting in Week 49: 41

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	1.9%	1.1%	0.4%	1.7%	0.8%	2.8%
42	1.4%	1.2%	0.5%	1.6%	1.2%	2.1%
43	1.6%	0.9%	0.3%	1.2%	0.8%	1.7%
44	1.5%	0.6%	0.3%	1.2%	0.7%	1.7%
45	2.2%	1.0%	0.4%	1.2%	0.9%	1.5%
46	2.3%	0.9%	0.8%	1.4%	1.2%	1.8%
47	3.5%	0.7%	0.3%	1.6%	1.1%	2.2%
48	3.2%	1.1%	0.5%	1.5%	1.1%	2.2%
49	4.0%	0.9%	0.5%	1.7%	1.0%	2.8%
50	N/A	1.1%	0.4%	1.5%	1.1%	1.7%
51	N/A	1.7%	0.5%	1.9%	1.4%	2.7%
52	N/A	1.5%	0.5%	2.0%	1.0%	3.1%
1	N/A	2.1%	0.7%	3.4%	1.9%	5.4%
2	N/A	1.6%	0.4%	3.4%	1.8%	5.7%
3	N/A	1.4%	0.2%	2.3%	1.3%	3.7%
4	N/A	0.9%	0.3%	2.0%	1.1%	2.9%
5	N/A	1.0%	0.2%	2.1%	1.4%	3.1%
6	N/A	0.7%	0.5%	2.4%	1.4%	4.0%
7	N/A	0.7%	0.3%	2.4%	0.9%	3.5%
8	N/A	0.8%	0.2%	2.3%	0.8%	3.4%
9	N/A	0.7%	0.2%	2.3%	0.9%	3.1%
10	N/A	0.9%	0.2%	2.0%	1.0%	2.8%
11	N/A	0.6%	0.2%	1.9%	1.1%	2.8%
12	N/A	0.8%	0.3%	1.6%	0.6%	2.6%
13	N/A	1.2%	0.4%	1.6%	1.1%	2.6%
14	N/A	1.1%	0.2%	1.7%	1.1%	3.0%
15	N/A	1.2%	0.3%	1.3%	0.9%	1.9%
16	N/A	1.5%	0.3%	1.2%	0.8%	1.7%
17	N/A	1.3%	0.4%	1.2%	0.7%	1.7%
18	N/A	1.8%	0.5%	1.3%	0.5%	2.0%
19	N/A	1.7%	0.3%	0.9%	0.6%	1.3%
20	N/A	1.5%	0.5%	1.1%	0.6%	1.5%
21	N/A	1.4%	0.3%	0.9%	0.5%	1.3%
22	N/A	1.0%	0.3%	0.7%	0.3%	1.0%
23	N/A	1.1%	0.2%	0.8%	0.6%	1.0%
24	N/A	1.3%	0.2%	0.7%	0.6%	1.0%
25	N/A	1.0%	0.2%	0.6%	0.4%	0.8%
26	N/A	0.8%	0.2%	0.8%	0.5%	1.4%
27	N/A	1.7%	0.3%	0.6%	0.5%	0.7%
28	N/A	1.0%	0.1%	0.7%	0.5%	1.3%
29	N/A	0.9%	0.3%	0.9%	0.6%	1.7%
30	N/A	1.3%	0.2%	0.6%	0.2%	0.9%
31	N/A	0.9%	0.2%	0.4%	0.2%	0.6%
32	N/A	0.9%	0.2%	0.8%	0.3%	1.2%
33	N/A	0.8%	0.3%	0.7%	0.4%	1.3%
34	N/A	1.0%	0.5%	0.7%	0.4%	1.5%

FluWatchers

In week 49, 10,772 participants reported to FluWatchers, of which 2.7% reported symptoms of cough and fever (Figure 6). The percentage of FluWatchers who have reported cough and fever is within seasonal levels.

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 SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This makes the proportion of individuals reporting cough and fever an important indicator of overall respiratory illness activity in the community in the presence of co-circulating viruses.

FluWatchers reporting is not impacted by changes in health services or health seeking behaviours.

Among the 287 participants who reported cough and fever:

• 26% consulted a healthcare professional;
• 84% reported days missed from work or school, resulting in an average of 3.1 missed days from work or school among those 242 participants.

The Northwest Territories had the highest participation rate this week (51 participants per 100,000 population) and the neighbourhood with postal code, K0A had the highest number of participants (148). 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 49: 10,772

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	2.0%	0.4%	0.3%	1.8%	1.6%	2.0%
43	2.3%	0.5%	0.2%	1.9%	1.5%	2.2%
44	2.6%	0.5%	0.3%	1.6%	1.4%	1.8%
45	3.0%	0.5%	0.3%	1.8%	1.4%	2.3%
46	2.9%	0.4%	0.3%	1.8%	1.2%	2.2%
47	3.1%	0.6%	0.3%	1.9%	1.4%	2.4%
48	3.1%	0.5%	0.3%	2.4%	1.7%	3.4%
49	2.7%	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 49, 58 laboratory-confirmed influenza outbreaks were reported in Canada (35 in long-term care facilities (LTC), 15 in facilities categorized as ‘other’, and 8 in acute care facilities). All but one outbreaks were due to influenza A. 28 ILI outbreaks were reported (26 in schools/daycares and 2 in facilities categorized as ‘other’).

To date this season (August 28, 2022 to December 10, 2022):

• 349 laboratory-confirmed influenza outbreaks have been reported
  • 175 were in LTC facilities (50%)
  • 100 were in facilities categorized as ‘other’ (29%)
  • 63 were in acute care facilities (18%)
  • 7 were in remote and/or isolated communities (2%)
  • 4 were in schools/daycares (1%)
  • All but one outbreak was due to influenza A
• 213 ILI outbreaks have been reported
  • All but 2 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, COVID-19, or a mixture of viruses. 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 49: 12 out of 13

Figure 7 - Text description

Surveillance Week	Acute Care Facilities	Long Term Care Facilities	Other	Schools and Daycares	Remote and/or Isolated Communities
35	0	0	1	0	0
36	0	1	0	0	0
37	0	0	0	0	0
38	1	0	0	0	0
39	0	2	1	0	0
40	0	3	3	0	0
41	1	2	1	0	0
42	3	0	2	0	0
43	1	6	6	3	0
44	1	10	12	1	0
45	12	19	10	0	0
46	11	32	19	0	0
47	13	31	12	0	7
48	12	33	18	0	0
49	8	35	15	0	0

Influenza Severe Outcomes Surveillance

Provincial/Territorial Influenza Hospitalizations and Deaths

In week 49, 303 influenza-associated hospitalizations and 24 ICU admissions were reported by participating provinces and territories^{Footnote 2}. This week, nine influenza-associated deaths were reported.

To date this season 2,297 influenza-associated hospitalizations were reported (August 28, 2022 to December 10, 2022) by participating provinces and territories:

• >99% of the hospitalizations were associated with influenza A.
• Of the cases with subtype information (1,335), 93% were associated with influenza A(H3N2)
• The highest cumulative hospitalization rates up to week 49 were among children under 5 years of age (76/100,000 population) and adults 65 years of age and older (71/100,000 population).

To date this season (August 28, 2022 to December 10, 2022), 214 ICU admissions and 99 influenza-associated deaths were reported.

Number of provinces and territories reporting in week 49: 9 out of 9

Figure 8 - Text description

Surveillance Week	0-4 yrs	5-19 yrs	20-44 yrs	45-64 yrs	65+ yrs	Overall
35	0.2	N/A	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.1
36	0.2	N/A	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.1
37	0.2	N/A	0.0	0.1	0.4	0.1
38	0.2	N/A	0.0	0.1	0.5	0.1
39	0.2	N/A	0.0	0.1	0.8	0.2
40	0.2	N/A	0.1	0.2	0.8	0.2
41	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.2	1.3	0.3
42	0.7	0.1	0.2	0.4	1.6	0.5
43	2.5	1.1	0.4	0.9	2.8	1.2
44	8.5	3.1	0.9	1.9	5.7	2.8
45	19.5	6.2	2.2	4.4	15.1	6.6
46	34.9	9.5	4.1	6.8	28.0	11.5
47	54.6	14.9	6.9	11.4	44.6	18.4
48	68.9	17.2	9.3	15.6	62.0	24.4
49	75.6	18.8	10.2	17.9	71.1	27.5

Pediatric Influenza Hospitalizations and Deaths

In week 49, 208 influenza-associated pediatric (≤16 years of age) hospitalizations and 21 ICU admissions were reported by the Immunization Monitoring Program Active (IMPACT) network. The number of weekly influenza-associated hospitalizations remains well above levels typical of this time of year but has decreased from the previous week (from 251 in week 48) (Figure 9). All but two hospitalisations reported in week 49 were associated with influenza A.

To date this season (August 28, 2022 to December 10, 2022):

• 1,173 pediatric influenza-associated hospitalizations have been reported.
• Children aged between 2-4 years and 5-9 years account for more than 55% of the reported pediatric hospitalizations (Figure 10).
• 154 ICU admissions were reported; children aged between 2-4 years and 5-9 years account for more than 50% of the reported pediatric ICU admissions.
• 5 influenza-associated pediatric deaths have been reported.

Figure 9 - Text description

Surveillance week	2022-2023	2021-2022	Average	Min	Max
35	1	0	0	0	1
36	1	0	1	0	2
37	0	0	1	0	2
38	1	0	1	0	2
39	1	0	1	0	3
40	1	0	1	0	2
41	4	0	2	0	3
42	7	0	3	0	7
43	41	0	4	1	11
44	79	0	6	1	21
45	152	0	9	2	36
46	197	0	12	1	37
47	229	1	11	1	35
48	251	1	20	2	46
49	208	1	21	3	41

Figure 10 - Text description

Age Group	Total
0-5 mo	117
6-23 mo	197
2-4 yr	362
5-9 yr	297
10-16 yr	200

Influenza Strain Characterization

Since September 1, 2022, the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) has characterized 134 influenza viruses (122 A(H3N2), 12 A(H1N1)) received from Canadian laboratories.

Genetic Characterization of Influenza A(H3N2)

One influenza A(H3N2) virus did not grow to sufficient hemagglutination titers for antigenic characterization by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays. Therefore, NML has performed genetic characterization to determine the genetic group identity of this virus.

Sequence analysis of the HA gene of the virus showed that it belonged to genetic group 3C.2a1b.2a2.

A/Darwin/6/2021 (H3N2)-like virus is an influenza A/H3N2 component of the 2022-23 Northern Hemisphere influenza vaccine and belongs to genetic group 3C.2a1b.2a2.

Antigenic Characterization

Influenza A(H3N2)

• 122 influenza A (H3N2) viruses were characterized as antigenically similar to A/Darwin/6/2021 (H3N2)-like virus with antisera raised against cell-grown A/Darwin/6/2021 (H3N2)-like virus.
  • A/Darwin/6/2021 (H3N2)-like virus is an influenza A/H3N2 component of the 2022-23 Northern Hemisphere influenza vaccine.
• Of the 122 influenza A (H3N2) viruses characterized, 106 belonged to genetic group 3C.2a1b.2a2. Sequences are pending for the remaining viruses.

Influenza A(H1N1)

• 12 influenza A (H1N1) viruses were characterized as antigenically similar to A/Wisconsin/588/2019-like with ferret antisera produced against cell-propagated A/Wisconsin/588/2019.
  • A/Wisconsin/588/2019 is the influenza A/H1N1 component of the 2022-23 Northern Hemisphere influenza vaccine.

Antiviral Resistance

The NML also tests influenza viruses received from Canadian laboratories for antiviral resistance.

Oseltamivir

122 influenza viruses (112 A(H3N2) and 10 A(H1N1)) were tested for resistance to oseltamivir and it was found that:

• All influenza viruses were sensitive to oseltamivir.

Zanamivir

122 influenza viruses (112 A(H3N2) and 10 A(H1N1)) were tested for resistance to zanamivir and it was found that:

• All influenza viruses were sensitive to zanamivir.

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.