13 January 2014 (19:31 UTC-07 Tango 12 January 2013)/11 Rabi ‘al-Awwal 1435/23 Dey 1392/13 Gui-Chou (12th month) 4711
Alberta, Canada: Reports that clinics have run out of flu shots. According to Canadian news sources Alberta’s Health Minister, Fred Horne, said they’re expecting 65-thousand more shots, but they are literally the last of the current global supply of flu shots! At least one million people in Alberta have been vaccinated.
British Columbia, Canada: At least 17 people have died from H1N1. Pharmacies are running out of vaccines.
Nova Scotia, Canada: Two people have died from H1N1, and the province is running out of flu shots.
Ontario, Canada: Health officials in Ottawa report that on 11 January they had 900 people show up for flu shots at “pop up clinics”. The pop up vaccination clinics are in response to growing reports of H1N1 cases and deaths in the western half of Canada. At North York General Hospital five people are so sick that they are now quarantined!
California, U.S.A.: Several pharmacies in the Golden State are reporting they’ve run out of flu shots. A 23 years old Santa Rosa man also died from H1N1. The man had been sick, thought he recovered, but then suddenly ended up in the hospital, going ‘Code Blue’ within hours of being admitted. One of his friends, Tanner Petersen, said “Just this quickly, like boom, he goes from being completely fine to where we’re at right now.” Health officials in the San Francisco Bay Area are reporting 13 confirmed H1N1 deaths. State health officials are investigating 28 other deaths. Alameda County reports two deaths, Kings County reports two deaths, Fresno County reports one death, Merced County reports two deaths, Contra Costa County reports one death, Santa Clara County reports one death. Most of the deaths took place after 01 January. Marin County reports 20% of flu cases there are H1N1. Stanislaus County reports a spike in critical cases of H1N1. San Diego County reports that more than 80% of flu cases are H1N1. The Fresno County Jail is in lockdown after an inmate had to be hospitalized with H1N1. It only took two days for the virus to make the 61 years old man sick enough to be hospitalized.
Colorado, U.S.A.: Department of Public Health and Environment reports 748 flu hospitalizations the week ended 04 January 2014. Compare that to 263 two weeks prior.
Florida, U.S.A.: State health officials are warning that this flu season’s H1N1 could be more lethal than in 2009. UF Health Shands Hospital reports 12 H1N1 deaths since October 2013. A 47 years old Santa Rosa County paramedic has died from H1N1, his wife is now sick and hospitalized. Jay Gajewski, the brother of the paramedic, said he was not aware that his brother and sister-in-law were sick, it was sudden: “The last text I got just said he and his wife were in the hospital.”
Kansas, U.S.A.: The Chief Medical Officer for the University of Kansas Hospital explained why H1N1 is killing people: “They’ve got such a bad infection in their lungs that they can’t oxygenate their blood enough to keep all of their vital organs going…”-Lee Norman
Louisiana, U.S.A.: An eight years old Bossier City girl died from H1N1. She went to school on Tuesday, 07 January, got sick that night and died the next day! I think everybody who has children who attend Central Park Elementary School need to keep their kids home and/or have them checked out by competent doctors, NOW!
Massachusetts, U.S.A: In Salem a 53 years old woman died, but health officials refuse to say why. The woman’s roommate, Keith Rich, told local news sources she was sick with H1N1. He also said that as soon as she was admitted to the hospital she went into a coma and died the next morning. Rich stated that hospital officials told him, and others who knew the woman, to stay away from the hospital because they had been exposed to H1N1, and the hospital did not want any patients exposed. He went to the news media because “It seemed to me like we need to let the general public know…”
Michigan, U.S.A.: Jackson County Medical Care Facility locked down after an influenza outbreak. Patients are being treated with tamiflu. Washtenaw County reports two deaths, 200 confirmed cases. Ann Arbor area pharmacies ran out of flu shots, and there are reports that those people getting sick with H1N1 are people with no other health problems. Kalamazoo Hospital restricts visitation. The Michigan Department of Community Health is warning college students. Health officials are concerned as the students return to school after the end of year break, because so many people will be in close quarters and the H1N1 is targeting young adults.
Missouri, U.S.A.: Department of Health and Senior Services reports more than 6-thousand influenza cases! Local news sources point out that state health officials lump flu and pneumonia deaths together, so it’s hard to get a definitive death by flu count. Barnes-Jewish Hospital reports nine H1N1 deaths. 35 people in intensive care. The age range of those who died were 20s to 60s. Hospital officials say almost 100% of flu cases in their area are H1N1. They also say being alive before 1957 could save you from H1N1: “Most people who were infected with flu before 1957 and are still alive today have some protection versus the current H1N1, because it’s closely enough related…”-Steven Lawrence, Infectious Disease Physician
Ohio, U.S.A: Lucas County reports two H1N1 deaths in the past two weeks. Apparently the 62 years old woman, and a 50 years old man, got sick right after New Years Day and only got worse regardless of treatment. Mercy Health Systems confirms 71 cases of influenza in their hospital. Toledo Hospital says 39 patients confirmed to have flu. Athens County reports a 31 years old woman died from H1N1.
Pennsylvania, U.S.A.: Officials with Allegheny General Hospital say the main cause of death from H1N1 is oxygen starvation.
Texas, U.S.A.: A 41 years old man dies from H1N1. The Christian family is trying to understand why he got sick and why doctors failed to help: “Remember that the good Lord will pick you up….[he had] no pre-existing medical condition…he didn’t smoke. He was perfectly healthy!……He laid down to take a nap and two hours later I went to check on him and found him [dead].….It scares me to death that it was not diagnosed properly!”-Lacy Waskom, widow