Wave of respiratory viruses hitting the Yukon

Respiratory viruses have been causing high rates of illness in the Yukon, and the territory's chief medical officer says it could be weeks before the spread starts to slow down.

Dr. Sudit Ranade said there are confirmed cases of influenza, COVID-19, and RSV(respiratory syncytial virus)circulating in the community. The health-care system has been tracking the numbers, but Ranade warned they're not reflective of the full situation because many people don't get tested.

Still, he said the spread has been evident in the number of Yukoners staying home sick from work and school, and the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better.

"We're just at the beginning," Ranade said. "Just as other jurisdictions have already kind of had a peak and it's starting to come down, we're just starting."

Hospital seeing more flu-like symptoms

In an email to CBC, Yukon Hospital Corporation spokesperson Isaac MacDonald said Whitehorse General Hospital had seen an increase in people coming in with flu-like symptoms.

The corporation also expects a "significant flu season this year," MacDonald said.

The Yukon Hospitals website shows space at Whitehorse General Hospital is limited as of Friday.

Other parts of Canada have also seen a sharp increase in flu cases. With health-care systems across the country already under strain, some health-care workers have been encouraging Canadians to resume masking.

Ranade said for now, the health-care system in the Yukon is "stable," but it's still too early to say whether there will be strain.

"We don't know where that's gonna go," he said. "It just depends on what proportion of people not just are ill but are severe enough with their symptoms that they need to seek out additional care."

Impact felt in schools

The Yukon Association of Education Professionals says schools have been hit hard by virus spread.

In an email to CBC, the Department of Education said an average 23 per cent of students were out of class in the first two weeks of November. Almost seven per cent of educators were absent during the same time period. The data reflects absences for any reason, not just illness.

That's comparable to last year, and an increase of less than 10 per cent from 2019.

But Ted Hup, president of the Yukon Association of Education Professionals, said some classes have been hit hard, with 30 to 40 per cent of their students out sick.

"Looking at that [data] across the territory is probably very accurate," Hup said. "But it's not taking into account the spikes that are happening in each individual school."

The CBC has requested attendance data for the last two weeks of November and is waiting to hear back.

Flu shot uptake at 20 per cent

Data provided by the Department of Health and Social Services shows 20 per cent of Yukoners hadreceived their flu shot as of Nov. 26. Just seven per cent of people age 18 to 29 had beenvaccinated.

Last year, 39 per cent of Canadians got their shot over the course of the full flu season.

Ranade encouraged people to get vaccinated against influenza and COVID-19, and to stay home when possible or wear a mask if they have symptoms.

"Even if the risk is low in your age category compared to other age categories, you also don't necessarily know if you're going to be the person who gets hit with severe disease," he said. "When you immunize yourself, you're reducing your risk."