It's estimated 40 to 45 per cent of Canadians have gotten the H1N1 vaccine. (CBC)

The H1N1 virus was the top Canadian news story of 2009, according to 70 per cent of the country's editors and news directors in The Canadian Press's annual survey of newsrooms.

"It was a coast-to-coast story that people followed with interest no matter where they lived in Canada," said Lesley Sheppard, managing editor of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald, in Moose Jaw, Sask.

Several editors noted the way the pandemic was "spun" by health agencies and how the story was picked up by the media.

"The H1N1 flu scare is almost more famous for the way it was handled by the media than [for] how it spread wildly across the country," said Victor Krasowski, news director of radio station CJUK in Thunder Bay, Ont.

The story snowballed from April when the first indication of the new strain of swine flu being transferred between humans came to light.

Eventually, it resulted in the World Health Organization declaring its first pandemic in 41 years. So far, 400 people in Canada and more than 11,500 worldwide have died from H1N1.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has estimated that between 40 and 45 per cent of Canadians have been vaccinated against H1N1.

Meanwhile, WHO officials warn that another wave of swine flu may hit in the new year.

With files from The Canadian Press