The province’s chief medical examiner Dr. Simon Avis provides details of a review conducted into recent H1N1-related deaths across the province during a media briefing Wednesday afternoon at the Confederation Building. Avis said of the province’s eight deaths, five have been attributed to the H1N1 flu virus. — Photo by Joe Gibbons/The Telegram

The province officially appears to have turned the corner on the H1N1 flu Wednesday afternoon, with nearly 200,000 people vaccinated, and thousands more to be inoculated in the coming days.

In his media briefing, Health Minister Jerome Kennedy revealed that only five people have died because of swine flu. It was previously been believed the illness killed at least eight people.

The revised numbers came after a review of 15 deaths of people who had tested positive for the H1N1 flu virus, and Dr. Simon Avis, chief medical examiner for the province, said in many of those deaths, H1N1 had nothing to do with the cause.

"The causes of the death are such that the causes, in and of themselves, are quite capable of causing death," he said. "In at least two of them, I would say that H1N1 had no role whatsoever."

For example, Avis said, if someone has a heart attack, that will kill them just as well whether they have the flu or not.

Kennedy and Avis were both quick to point out the revision in numbers was not due to a mistake on the part of health officials, but a natural update as things begin to calm down.

"The information provided is subject to change, but we're doing the best we can to ensure that the information provided is as accurate as we can," Kennedy said.

Avis said of the five people who died directly from the flu, four were women and two were morbidly obese. They were all between 29 and 58 years old.

Meanwhile, as the second wave has peaked across the province, the vaccination effort continues to accelerate.

Seventeen thousand people were vaccinated Tuesday before health officials ran out of vaccine. Another shipment of 33,000 doses is expected today; clinics in St. John's will likely start delivering it in the afternoon. It will be Friday or Saturday before it can be packaged and shipped to Central, Western and Labrador-Grenfell.

By next week, more than half the province should be immunized.

That level of protection should cut the pandemic off at the knees - left to its own devices, it would likely play out over 12 to 18 months.

"Without a vaccination program we would anticipate three or four waves," said Dr. Faith Stratton, chief medical officer of health. "What we would like with the population sufficiently immunized, is not to see any more waves of this."

Stratton said even after the H1N1 flu passes, the hospitals are still seeing people with flu-like symptoms that are testing negative for H1N1 and seasonal flu.

"There is still something else that's circulating in our community that's causing influenza-like illness," she said. "There are hundreds, if not thousands, of viruses that can be circulating at this time of year."

jmcleod@thetelegram.com