Surge in influenza cases has peaked, Alberta CMOH says

Alberta's top doctor says the worst of an especially bad flu season is now behind us. We're not out of the woods yet, though.

Alberta’s top doctor says the province has peaked following a surge in influenza cases at the end of year and illness rates are coming down.

Dr. Vivien Suttorp, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, made the announcement in Calgary on Tuesday.

“This season, Alberta experienced an exceptionally large wave of influenza-A; H3N2. Over the course of December, influenza-A activity rose steeply and placed significant pressure on emergency departments, congregate care sites and care providers across the province,” she said.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

That surge resulted in thousands of cases being confirmed in Alberta, but Suttorp says the figures are now showing different results.

“As of today, there are 706 patients in hospital – 513 with influenza, 118 with COVID-19 and 85 with RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).”

Suttorp said hospitalizations are not expected to exceed the levels seen during the week of Dec. 21, 2025.

• Flu has peaked in some provinces while nationally cases remain high but ‘stable or decreased’
• Updated Alberta stats indicate 133 flu deaths over 2025-26 season
• Alberta hospitals brace for peak flu pressure as Calgary bears brunt of surge

She added that officials are continuing to monitor trends in illnesses, but the best way for Albertans to protect themselves from getting sick is to get immunized.

“The influenza vaccine is free for all Albertans six months of age and older. COVID-19 and RSV vaccines are also available at no cost to certain individuals,” she said.

She said about 75 per cent of patients hospitalized this season did not have a vaccine.

If you do get sick, Suttorp says Albertans should stay home to protect others from being exposed.

“If you’re feeling unwell and unsure if you need urgent care, please call Health Link at 811 before visiting an emergency department,” she said.

“Many respiratory viruses can be safely managed at home, or with support from primary care.”

Hospital surge

Those on the front lines tell CTV News they’re still worried about Alberta’s wait times and emergency departments.

“Even though the viruses are starting to abate a little bit, we’re still seeing very high volumes (of patients),” Alberta Medical Association (AMA) president Dr. Brian Wirzba said.

“We need to have that capacity to accommodate the unexpected things and the true emergencies that come around.”

The AMA says the acute care system, which has been operating at over 110 per cent capacity for more than a year, is in trouble.

It says wait times for urgent patients in Alberta’s major cities increased by 70 per cent over the last three calendar years.

Wirzba places a lot of the blame of the government’s AHS restructuring. He believes there “isn’t any integration” between the now-independent departments — and that it’s led to poor communication around patient discharges and internal organization.

“Hopefully, we can get some coordination back,” he said.

The province did not make the premier or minster of hospital and surgical health services available to the media on Tuesday.

It marks the third straight denied CTV News interview request from the latter, dating back to last week.

It’s unclear why Matt Jones has not appeared in front of journalists — or why he was not involved in Tuesday’s CMOH availability — though his press secretary promises Jones will take media questions Thursday.

“The UCP is still on vacation mode,” Alberta NDP Acute and Surgical Services Shadow Minister Sarah Hoffman said. “But it would sure be good for them to talk about what they’re doing to actually fix our hospital situation, because it is unacceptable.”

Government press secretaries pointed reporters to a written statement from Acute Care Alberta CEO David Diamond.

In it, he promises the team “is working with service providers like AHS and Covenant Health to support site-level decisions such as accelerating discharges and transfers where appropriate, limiting non-essential inbound transfers, dedicating 336 beds specifically for respiratory virus season, and opening designated surge spaces to manage increased demand.“

Why is this season so bad?

Suttorp said every year, health officials start planning for the upcoming influenza season during the summer months.

This work consists of strategies to prevent vulnerable populations, predicting vaccines, delivering messaging among other services.

“It’s difficult to predict, a year ahead, what the predominant strain will be,” Suttorp said.

“There are always these quality assurance initiatives and learnings and working with all partners to coordinate care to ensure that everybody’s getting the right care in the right place.”