While the number of swine flu cases in Manitoba is up, fewer people are requiring intensive care in hospital, health officials said on Thursday. (CBC)The number of confirmed cases of H1N1 flu in Manitoba has more than doubled in the last week.

From Nov. 16 to 23, 703 lab-confirmed cases of swine flu were counted, bringing the total to 1,246 cases since the second wave of H1N1 began on Oct. 6, provincial health officials said Thursday.

Half of the cases involved children under 18.

Adults aged 18-64 made up the rest of the cases, with only slightly more women (52 per cent) contracting swine flu than men (48 per cent).

Officials caution that the number of confirmed cases doesn't come close to the actual number of people who have been ill with swine flu. Nor do they detail the severity of their infections, officials said in a statement.

'The game is definitely not over'—Dr. Joel Kettner

Dr. Joel Kettner, Manitoba's chief medical officer of health, admitted the overall number of confirmed cases is large, but said the number of people needing to be admitted to intensive care wards is falling.

Just one swine flu patient was on a respirator in hospital last week, Kettner said, and used a hockey metaphor to describe where he feels the province is at in terms of the progress of the pandemic.

"I don’t know what period we're in yet in this game, but the game is definitely not over," he said.

Vaccination plans to change soon: WRHA

More than 320,000 Manitobans have been vaccinated against H1N1 since mass immunization clinics began in late October.

Officials said eight people have had "serious adverse events" after getting the shot, including five people who suffered a serious and immediate reaction to the vaccine and went into anaphylactic shock.

The province is encouraging anyone who needs or wants an H1N1 shot to visit a clinic in their area as soon as possible, as some provincial health authorities are planning to adapt their immunization strategies based on the demand for the vaccine.

That means in some areas mass vaccination clinics may close and people may have to find other means — such as visiting their doctor's office — to get a flu shot.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) said it may close four city flu clinics soon in the Point Douglas, St. Boniface, Transcona and Inkster areas of Winnipeg due to lack of demand. No specific closure dates were given, but the WRHA has said it will make a decision by Dec. 4.

However, the WRHA said it is opening three new weekend clinics that will operate on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT.

They will be located at:

• Grant Park Shopping Centre, 1120 Grant Ave.
• The Indo Canadian Arts and Cultural Centre, 479 St. Mary’s Rd.
• Garden City Shopping Centre, 2305 McPhillips St.