After reaching a peak during the Christmas holidays, lab-confirmed flu cases in the province have dropped substantially.

There were fears that this year’s flu season could be among the worst on record, but the province has so far managed to avoid the kind of rates seen in other parts of the country.

As of February 22nd, there were 29 lab-confirmed cases of the flu in Newfoundland and Labrador, with four hospitalizations reported Friday – one of whom was in critical care.

About half of the province’s population 65 and older have been vaccinated, while vaccination rates for the entire province are at just over 25 per cent.