Alberta Premier Alison Redford speaks during a year-end interview at her office in Calgary on Dec. 17, 2013.JEFF MCINTOSH/The Globe and Mail
Alberta Premier Alison Redford is reassuring the public that there is enough flu vaccine to meet demand.
Alberta Health Services updated its flu statistics Tuesday night, saying nine people have died after getting the flu, 70 were admitted to intensive care and 288 have been treated in hospital.
Health officials say they are rethinking the best way to go about distributing flu shots.
They say they are concentrating on supplying mass clinics where people are lining up rather than individual pharmacies.
Redford says Alberta's chief medical health officer has been watching the available supplies closely.
She says the increased demand from Albertans can be partially tied to people getting back to work and school after the holidays.
"There is no reason for anyone to be panicking," she said in Calgary Tuesday. "Everyone who has wanted to get this has been able to get it up until now."