A review carried out by the province’s chief medical examiner of 15 individuals who died and tested positive for H1N1 at the time of their death has concluded that five of those people died as a direct result of H1N1 infection.
The age of those individuals ranged from 29 to 58 years of age. Four of the individuals were female and one was male.
The other 10 individuals died from other conditions. The age of these individuals ranged from 40 to 77 years, of which six were male and four female.
 Dr. Simon Avis said it was important for him to perform the review as it helps the public and the medical community better understand the direct impact of the H1N1 virus, including the types of patients who are at higher risk of having serious complications.
Avis, along with Health Minister Jerome Kennedy and the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Faith Stratton, released the results of the review today.
“I am pleased that Dr. Avis was able to complete this review in a short time period and I appreciate his commitment and professionalism,” Kennedy said in a news release.
 “This review by Dr. Avis, supported by a team of medical specialists, will provide us with an accurate picture of individuals who have died primarily as a result of H1N1 infection. Because all of these individuals tested positive for H1N1 at the time of death, all deaths will be reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada for surveillance purposes. However, it is important that we are able to determine whether H1N1 was the primary cause of death.”
The review by was to assess the role the H1N1 virus may have played in the deaths of the 15 individuals. The review is separate from an ongoing evaluation of the continuum of care individuals received from the time they presented to a clinic up to and including the time of their death.
Avis noted the review process involved multiple components including: a review of charts of the patients involved, a discussion of cases with the attending physician and a review of autopsy findings, including microscopic examination.
Kennedy said should there be any further cases of individuals who test positive for H1N1 at the time of death, they will also be reviewed by Avis and his team of medical specialists.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) defines a H1N1 related death as a death occurring in any person with laboratory-confirmed pandemic (H1N1) influenza with no period of complete recovery between illness and death.

Meantime, Kennedy said between 190,000 to 200,000 people in the province have been vaccinated as of today. On Thursday, the province is expected to receive another 33,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine, with an additional 146,500 doses coming in over next few days.