An early start to the flu season in Saskatchewan is being blamed by the Ministry of Health for a large volume of lab-confirmed cases.

According to the Saskatchewan Health Authority(SHA), 1,571 cases of influenza had been confirmed as of December 22.

"The peak has now been achieved and we do not expect the cumulative number of cases to increase a great deal more from now on," the SHA explained via email.

The amount of influenza vaccine administered this season has also risen by 8% to 280,000 doses.