PRINCE.EDWARD.ISLAND (CBC) - The federal government is preparing to ship 1.8 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine to the provinces.

"There are now over six million doses available," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday. "There will be another 1.8 million doses available next week.

"That means 8.5 million are available. The pace of dose availability in this country is ahead of any other country in the world. The provinces' resources are being stretched to the maximum to ensure this is being rolled out as quickly as possible."

Meanwhile, more people are falling sick with flu symptoms across Canada, increasing demands on health-care services.

Health officials in British Columbia confirmed Wednesday three more deaths from swine flu, raising the province's total number of fatalities to 15. All the victims had pre-existing medical conditions and none were children.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, health authorities reported Wednesday a second H1N1-related death. A 40-year-old man died from complications related to an H1N1 influenza infection.

He had multiple underlying medical conditions and was in an intensive-care unit for several days before he died.

As of Tuesday, the Public Health Agency of Canada reported 101 deaths related to the H1N1 virus, six more than it reported on Oct. 29.

Ontario has experienced 37 flu-related deaths since spring, including four this week. Since April, 707 Ontarians have needed hospital care and 108 remain in hospital.

In B.C., 162 people have been admitted to hospital with flu in the past week, compared with 200 from April to October.

Family doctors in the province are seeing more patients than usual for this time of year showing flu-like illness. B.C. Children's Hospital has set up a flu assessment clinic to try to relieve the strain on the health-care system.

In Kitimat in northwestern B.C., all three elementary schools and a high school have closed either because children are sick or because parents are concerned. The town's mayor expressed concerns about delays in opening a clinic offering H1N1 shots for high-risk people.

In Sudbury, Ont., 47 people have been admitted to hospital with flu, including nine people who are on ventilators. The city has a population of 158,000.

Sudbury has cancelled elective surgeries, which some hospitals from Vancouver to Montreal are also doing.

Hospital admissions in Ontario have increased "measurably" over the last month, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Arlene King, said Wednesday.

"Hospitals are coping well with this surge. We do not have any reports of hospitals being overwhelmed, however, some primary-care settings and emergency departments are very busy and that's why special flu assessment centres have been set up across the province."

Health officials in Ontario want to give out 2.2 million doses of H1N1 vaccine by the end of the week. About 4.3 million people in the province are considered at high priority for receiving the shot.

In most cases, people with flu symptoms can recover at home.