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WRHA and Manitoba Health data show there were 296 lab-confirmed flu cases in Winnipeg during the last four weeks of 2017 and first week of 2018. That compares to 17 cases during the same five-week period that began 12 months earlier.

The authority says new enhanced home-care supports dramatically reduced the number of patients waiting in hospital to be placed in personal care homes. It says about nine patients are now doing so, which is the lowest number on record and is down from about 78 patients a year ago.

“I’ve never seen the number as low as it is … We’re beginning to see some very good results with the priority home system,” said Lamont.

The WRHA says its new transitional care, priority home and rapid response nursing services have assisted 200 patients since they launched in the fall. And not having those patients stuck in hospital beds allows capacity for other patients to be admitted, an effect that trickles down all the way to emergency rooms.

While the WRHA called the flu experience a notable test of its ongoing transformation, the Manitoba NDP claim the small window studied offers little proof that it’s effective.

“To suggest that this set of data today … that’s not justification to keep plowing ahead with what we think are mistakes,” said Andrew Swan, the party’s health critic.

The authority has also now begun catching up on surgeries delayed by flu demand. It recently opened 70 over-capacity beds to assist flu patients admitted to hospital and postponed elective surgeries to allow an additional 68 beds to serve them.

A total 97 surgeries were postponed to allow the re-purposing, of which 61 have since been re-booked, the authority says. Seven of the surgeries have been completed.

jpursaga@postmedia.com

Twitter: @pursagawpgsun