Three more dead in B.C. from Swine Flu, 88 hospitalized Special

88 people have been admitted to hospitals in B.C. this week, 21 in ICU. Three more people are dead as a wave of illness hits B.C. Health authorities say there is a run on Tamiflu anti-viral medication.

VICTORIA – Three more B.C. residents are dead from Swine Flu in less than a week while a large number have been admitted to hospital from severe illness. As well, the number of cases admitted to hospital ICU wards are up substantially over all previous periods, demonstrating that B.C. is in the midst of a huge Swine Flu wave. 21 people were admitted to ICU in the last week. By comparison, 30 had been admitted during the entire period from April up to now. Doctors tell us that there is a shortage of flu shots. A clinic planned for Fraser Health area was canceled because there is not enough vaccine to go around. A receptionist at the Fraser Health Authority in Burnaby, B.C. said a clinic to vaccinate high priority cases set for Oct. 29 was cancelled. When asked why, she responded: "Because we had to ship all our vaccine to local doctors. We don't have enough." There is a rush on Tamiflu prescriptions. The government says people should not use this medication for prevention but Tamiflu’s website suggests it can be used to prevent infection. “Since Oct. 20, there have been 88 new severe cases of H1N1 identified in B.C. – 43 in Fraser Health, 29 in Vancouver Coastal Health, 11 in Interior Health, four on Vancouver Island and one in Northern Health – with three new deaths, two in Fraser Health and one in Interior Health,” the ministry of health said. * Since Oct. 20, there have been 88 new severe cases of H1N1 identified in B.C., with three new deaths. * In total, BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has confirmed 199 severe H1N1 cases in British Columbia since April 2009, including: o Eighty-seven in Fraser Health, including seven deaths. o Thirty-one in Interior Health, including three deaths. o Six in Northern Health. o Sixty in Vancouver Coastal Health, including one death. o Fifteen on Vancouver Island, including one death. * Of these 199 lab-confirmed cases admitted to hospital, 51 have been admitted to the ICU. Twenty-one new cases have been admitted to the ICU in the last week. * To date, twelve laboratory-confirmed H1N1 cases in B.C. are reported to have died. In eleven of those cases, there were underlying medical conditions. British Columbians can use the Flu Clinic Locator at www.immunizebc.ca to find out where to get the H1N1 vaccine. If there are no clinics posted in a particular area, people can call their public health unit or family physician to find out where and when they can get vaccinated. However, doctors report there is not enough flu vaccine. One clinic that was to be held in the Fraser Health Authority area was canceled. Some doctors have told us that while they received 90 doses each, they have hundreds of high risk patients. “Over 9,000 prescriptions of antivirals were filled last week alone, which is a 78 per cent increase from the previous week” said Dr. Fawziah Marra, pharmacy director at the BC Centre for Disease Control. “We want to remind British Columbians that if you have received a prescription for Tamiflu from your physician as part of your ‘flu plan’, then please do not fill the prescription unless you are experiencing moderate to severe influenza-like symptoms, or experiencing mild symptoms but have a high risk condition. Tamiflu is intended for treatment and not prevention.”