Doctors urge people to get flu vaccine as Ottawa hospital sees a surge in cases

An Ottawa hospital has seen an eightfold increase in the number of children testing positive for influenza, as doctors and health care workers across the country brace for what is expected to be one of the worst flu seasons in years.

Ottawa’s Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario on Wednesday said 145 patients tested positive for the flu in November compared with just 17 positive tests during the same month last year. Hospitalizations have doubled to 12.