Monday's facts & Figures: H1N1 pandemic

As more people become eligible Monday for the H1N1 vaccine across the country, statistics released in Alberta show that province's hospitalization and death rates related to the virus are double the national rate.

Alberta's Liberal party openly criticized the Conservative government of mishandling the province's vaccination program. Monday was the first day H1N1 vaccination clinics were reopened to the general public in that province after it was initially available. Alberta Liberal Leader David Swann said the vaccine should've only been given to high-risk groups as in other provinces, when it was first available. According to the Liberals, 42 people died in Alberta from the H1N1 flu up to Nov. 14, and 219 in all of Canada (Alberta's death toll has since risen to 47).

The province's death rate from H1N1 flu is 11.39 per million people — nearly double the national average of 6.49 and far above that of any other province with more than one million people.

- Winnipeg received an additional 93,500 doses of the adjuvanted H1N1 vaccine Monday. All 12 clinics in the city will have it available to the general public.

- The president of the Canadian Medical Association warned that the ongoing medical isotope shortage in the country is not sustainable due to the H1N1 flu pandemic. Dr. Anne Doig urged the federal government to reconsider pulling out of the isotope business. Nuclear medicine specialists have been grappling with a reduced supply of isotopes since May when the National Research Universal reactor at Chalk River was closed because of a leak. The aging reactor produced 80 per cent of the isotopes for the Canadian market and 40 per cent of the world's market.

- Canadian farms saw a drop of 4.2 per cent in overall revenue during the first nine months this year compared to last year. Statistics Canada contributed the loss to among other factors, the growing concerns about the H1N1 flu virus which has affected U.S. sales of live animals.

With files from Edmonton Journal