Ontario says there have been 484 new confirmed cases of H1N1 flu virus in the province since Friday.

That brings the total number of cases in the province to 1,562, it said Wednesday in a news release.

"Almost all of the cases reported to date are considered mild. The vast majority of these cases have recovered," it said.

Two Ontarians who contracted the virus have died. However, those individuals had underlying medical conditions, it said.

Eight hundred and eight males and 750 females have contracted the virus (the genders in four other cases aren't known). The patients' ages range from infants to 97. The average patient's age is 21 years old.

Here is the geographic breakdown. The first number is the new cases, and the number in brackets is the cumulative total:

  • Toronto - 159 (669)
  • Peel Region - 116 (302)
  • York Region - 71 (230)
  • Halton - 38 (126)
  • City of Ottawa - 57 (108)
  • Durham Region - 22 (53)
  • Simcoe Muskoka District - 4 (16)
  • Hamilton - 3 (10)
  • Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph - 3 (10)
  • Windsor-Essex - (5)
  • Waterloo Region - 2 (5)
  • Middlesex-London - (4)
  • Sudbury and District - (3)
  • Niagara Region - 2 (3)
  • Hastings and Prince Edward Counties - (2)
  • Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington - 1 (2)
  • Leeds, Grenville & Lanark - 1 (2)
  • Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge - 1 (2)
  • Northwestern - 1 (2)
  • Oxford County - (1)
  • Grey Bruce - (1)
  • Perth - 1 (1)
  • Eastern Ontario - 1 (1)
  • Out of province  - 2 (4)

The latter category includes visitors who were tested and confirmed in Ontario but do not reside in the province.

Testing to be tightened

Ontario Health and Long-term Care has provided new guidance to health professionals about who should be tested.

"Most of the testing being done right now is often unnecessary since a majority of the cases are mild and can be diagnosed and treated based on the symptoms presented to the physician," Dr. David Williams, the province's acting chief medical officer of health, said in the news release.

"Since we're asking that only hospitalized and high risk patients be tested, we expect future reports will show that the provincial case count is growing at a slower rate."

The province has found about 85 per cent of virus samples being sent for testing are turning out to be negative for any type of flu.

Background

The symptoms of H1N1 flu (previously known as swine flu) are similar to other seasonal flus:

  • chills and cough followed by fever, loss of appetite, muscle aches and fatigue
  • runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes and throat irritation
  • nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may occur in adults as well as in children
  • In severe cases, or in individuals with other medical problems, pneumonia can develop

Health officials have the following advice for people to avoid spreading any flu-like virus:

  • cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it
  • wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective
  • avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way
  • try to avoid close contact with sick people
  • stay home from work or school and limit contact with others if you get sick

Those Ontarians who have general questions about H1N1 flu can call the ServiceOntario INFOline at 1-800-476-9708.

If someone has flu-like symptoms and believe they may have H1N1 flu, they should call Telehealth at 1-866-797-0000.