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The Saskatchewan government’s latest Community Respiratory Illness Surveillance Program (CRISP) report contained both good and bad news.
The good news is that over the last two weeks, influenza test positivity in Saskatchewan has dropped nearly 50 per cent — from just over 30 per cent down to about 17 per cent, and hospitalizations are on the decline, according to the report covering the period between Dec. 28, 2025, and Jan. 10, 2026.
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The bad news is that during the same time period there were three deaths from influenza as well. According to the report, all of the deaths occurred in adults aged 60 or older.
Since Dec. 14, 2025 there have been five flu-related deaths in Saskatchewan. No information on the total number of deaths was available. During that same time period, there have also been two deaths associated with COVID.
Since Aug. 24, 2025, there have been 5,655 lab tested positive cases of the flu in Saskatchewan, of which more than 99 per cent were influenza A. Nearly 80 per cent of those were the H3N2 virus.
The same report shows COVID test positivity has slightly increased from five per cent to 6.1 per cent, with hospitalizations increasing from 28 to 36, and ICU admissions jumping from one to five people.
The information closely mirrors national numbers from the Public Health Agency of Canada. That latest information also shows flu cases on the decline since late December, with an 18 per cent reduction in cases in the first week of January alone.
The data also shows localized outbreaks for Saskatchewan, with those ages 65 and older affected the most. The dominant flu overall this season is influenza A, with the H3N2 strain making up 97.5 per cent of the cases. Influenza B makes up about 2.5 per cent of overall cases.
In late November 2025, the agency began urging people to get their flu vaccinations, and declared that the country had entered a flu epidemic.
In Saskatchewan, so far just 21 per cent of residents have been vaccinated against the flu, while COVID vaccinations sit at 14 per cent.
The next CRISP report will be released on Jan. 30.
Everyone aged six months and over is eligible to receive a flu shot at participating pharmacies, Saskatchewan Health Authority clinics, or some physician and nurse practitioner offices. The shots are free.
Children between the ages of six months and five years can only be immunized at a SHA flu clinic, a public health office or by a physician or nurse practitioner.
For more information on clinic times and locations or to make a booking to receive an influenza vaccine, visit www.4flu.ca. Individual or group bookings also can be made by calling 1-833-727-5829.
— with files from CKOM News
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