A patient ward at Gorge Road Hospital has been re-opened after being shut for nine days because of an outbreak of Influenza A. The Waterview unit was closed at the long-term care facility on Feb. 16 and reopened this afternoon. Visitors were not allowed and no new patients were accepted during the outbreak.
"That's pretty typical for the flu season," Vancouver Island Health Authority medical health officer Dee Hoyano said about the closure.
Less than one percent of the population came down with the flu this season, she added, based on reporting by select physicians. The season isn't expected to subside for another month.
"Some years we just have a milder strain," Hoyano said. "It's not really been alarming. So that's good news."
This season's three-part vaccine included immunization against H1N1, H3N2, and B influenzas. What percentage of the general population was vaccinated won't be known until the end of March.
vmoreau@oakbaynews.com