stuff.co.nz
Liz McDonald
6-8 minutes
Sungmi Kim/Stuff
High levels of influenza and other respiratory viruses are circulating in New Zealand, triggering concerns about the impact on the health system, schools and businesses.
Of patients recently admitted to hospital with several acute respiratory illnesses, testing showed more than half had the flu, while just 20% had Covid, the Ministry of Health has reported.
GPs, schools and businesses around the country say they are struggling to provide their usual services with so many workers falling ill.
A ministry spokesperson said “high levels of influenza and other respiratory viruses” were circulating, as well as Covid.
READ MORE:
* The big sick: Class numbers at levels you can count on one hand, as winter illness rips through Taranaki schools
* Nurses leaving as fast as they're replaced in Wellington
* Covid-19: 5499 new community cases, 18 deaths reported
“Early data shows there is a good match between the flu viruses being seen this year and the flu strain in this year’s vaccine. So if you haven't had a flu vaccination yet, please get one.”
ESR’s flu dashboard reports more than three times as many people in recent weeks are self-reporting flu symptoms of fever and cough than at the same time last year, and about 20 times more than in June 2020.
STUFF
Dr Gary Jackson, Dr Christine McIntosh and Dr Anthony Jordan discuss Covid-19, flu and RSV with health reporter Hannah Martin.
Professor Michael Plank from the University of Canterbury said there were “some nasty bugs going around”, including a gastro bug and the flu.
“We haven't really had any flu for a couple of years. If you feel unwell, stay home.”
Dr Bryan Betty, a Porirua family doctor and medical director of the Royal New Zealand College of GPs, said the flu this year was “much worse” because the closed borders and other Covid precautions had suppressed cases in the past two winters.
Do you work in the health system, or are you a patient who has struggled to get care? Share your story with us at [email protected]
They were also seeing cases of other bugs such as RSV, the virus that hit the country badly last winter, he said.
Karen Brown/RNZ
Dr Bryan Betty says doctors are having to prioritise patients.
“Right around the country we are getting very high levels of respiratory illnesses, and there’s a lot of extra demand on services. Influenza has really taken off, and we are still seeing significant Covid.
“We are seeing people reasonably unwell.”
The winter illnesses had hit at a time medical practices were already short of staff, and some patients would have to be patient, he said.
His own practice had three nurses and three doctors off sick last week.
GP surgeries were coping by prioritising acute patients over routine appointments that could safely wait, triaging patients and using tele-medicine via phone or video consultations, he said.
He advised anyone with a mild respiratory illness to rest at home and take paracetamol and fluids.
“It speaks to the need to get a vaccine. The problem is, people are at their limits in terms of Covid vaccinations, and maybe they have dropped their flu vaccine.”
Schools across the country are having to juggle teachers or reduce hours, including Queenspark School in Christchurch, which has been managing a gastro bug.
“Due to the Christchurch-wide shortage of relief teaching staff we are now having to split and share classes we cannot assign a relief teacher to,” parents at the school were told this month.
unsplash
Schools are having to juggle classes because so many teachers are sick. (File photo)
Napier Intermediate School switched to online learning last week, with a quarter of its staff and 150 students unwell.
Steven Frost, principal of Hillview Christian School in Christchurch, said up to 40% of staff had been sick recently, and in one class just five out of 20 children had come to school.
“We’ve had to make 35 phone calls trying to get relievers to cover staff that have gone down, just for today. Just to be able to have someone in front of the kids in the classroom.
“It’s been worse than ever, worse than Covid.”
Frost said sick staff reported high temperatures, headaches, vomiting, and aches and pains.
The school was “just taking one day at a time” and might have to consider reducing hours, he said.
Meanwhile, Wellingtonians are being advised to keep their rubbish and recycling bins on the kerb if their collection day is missed, as half the council’s waste contractors are off sick with Covid or seasonal illnesses.
A council spokesperson said the illness was causing “significant” delays in collection, and its glass recycling has been paused for a fortnight.
Joseph Johnson/Stuff
Hector Matthews says Christchurch Hospital’s emergency department has faced an influx of flu patients.
Hector Matthews, the Canterbury District Health Board’s systems-wide operations centre controller, said on average 180 to 200 staff had been off sick with Covid for some weeks, in addition to staff with other illnesses or caring for unwell dependents.
With a serious flu virus circulating, they were “redeploying staff and flexing our services where we can”, he said. Non-urgent surgeries have been delayed, he said.
Matthews urged people with cold symptoms to stay home and not pass their virus on, even if they have tested negative for Covid.
'Twindemic' takes toll on health sector, schools and businesses as flu overtakes Covid-19
Liz McDonald
6-8 minutes
Sungmi Kim/Stuff
High levels of influenza and other respiratory viruses are circulating in New Zealand, triggering concerns about the impact on the health system, schools and businesses.
- Flu this year is “much worse” because cases in the past two winters were suppressed by closed borders and Covid precautions.
- More than half those in hospital with acute respiratory illnesses have flu, against 20% with Covid.
- GP surgeries resort to prioritising acute patients and using tele-medicine for consultations.
- Schools are having to juggle teachers and reduce hours.
Of patients recently admitted to hospital with several acute respiratory illnesses, testing showed more than half had the flu, while just 20% had Covid, the Ministry of Health has reported.
GPs, schools and businesses around the country say they are struggling to provide their usual services with so many workers falling ill.
A ministry spokesperson said “high levels of influenza and other respiratory viruses” were circulating, as well as Covid.
READ MORE:
* The big sick: Class numbers at levels you can count on one hand, as winter illness rips through Taranaki schools
* Nurses leaving as fast as they're replaced in Wellington
* Covid-19: 5499 new community cases, 18 deaths reported
“Early data shows there is a good match between the flu viruses being seen this year and the flu strain in this year’s vaccine. So if you haven't had a flu vaccination yet, please get one.”
ESR’s flu dashboard reports more than three times as many people in recent weeks are self-reporting flu symptoms of fever and cough than at the same time last year, and about 20 times more than in June 2020.
STUFF
Dr Gary Jackson, Dr Christine McIntosh and Dr Anthony Jordan discuss Covid-19, flu and RSV with health reporter Hannah Martin.
Professor Michael Plank from the University of Canterbury said there were “some nasty bugs going around”, including a gastro bug and the flu.
“We haven't really had any flu for a couple of years. If you feel unwell, stay home.”
Dr Bryan Betty, a Porirua family doctor and medical director of the Royal New Zealand College of GPs, said the flu this year was “much worse” because the closed borders and other Covid precautions had suppressed cases in the past two winters.
Do you work in the health system, or are you a patient who has struggled to get care? Share your story with us at [email protected]
They were also seeing cases of other bugs such as RSV, the virus that hit the country badly last winter, he said.
Karen Brown/RNZ
Dr Bryan Betty says doctors are having to prioritise patients.
“Right around the country we are getting very high levels of respiratory illnesses, and there’s a lot of extra demand on services. Influenza has really taken off, and we are still seeing significant Covid.
“We are seeing people reasonably unwell.”
The winter illnesses had hit at a time medical practices were already short of staff, and some patients would have to be patient, he said.
His own practice had three nurses and three doctors off sick last week.
GP surgeries were coping by prioritising acute patients over routine appointments that could safely wait, triaging patients and using tele-medicine via phone or video consultations, he said.
He advised anyone with a mild respiratory illness to rest at home and take paracetamol and fluids.
“It speaks to the need to get a vaccine. The problem is, people are at their limits in terms of Covid vaccinations, and maybe they have dropped their flu vaccine.”
Schools across the country are having to juggle teachers or reduce hours, including Queenspark School in Christchurch, which has been managing a gastro bug.
“Due to the Christchurch-wide shortage of relief teaching staff we are now having to split and share classes we cannot assign a relief teacher to,” parents at the school were told this month.
unsplash
Schools are having to juggle classes because so many teachers are sick. (File photo)
Napier Intermediate School switched to online learning last week, with a quarter of its staff and 150 students unwell.
Steven Frost, principal of Hillview Christian School in Christchurch, said up to 40% of staff had been sick recently, and in one class just five out of 20 children had come to school.
“We’ve had to make 35 phone calls trying to get relievers to cover staff that have gone down, just for today. Just to be able to have someone in front of the kids in the classroom.
“It’s been worse than ever, worse than Covid.”
Frost said sick staff reported high temperatures, headaches, vomiting, and aches and pains.
The school was “just taking one day at a time” and might have to consider reducing hours, he said.
Meanwhile, Wellingtonians are being advised to keep their rubbish and recycling bins on the kerb if their collection day is missed, as half the council’s waste contractors are off sick with Covid or seasonal illnesses.
A council spokesperson said the illness was causing “significant” delays in collection, and its glass recycling has been paused for a fortnight.
Joseph Johnson/Stuff
Hector Matthews says Christchurch Hospital’s emergency department has faced an influx of flu patients.
Hector Matthews, the Canterbury District Health Board’s systems-wide operations centre controller, said on average 180 to 200 staff had been off sick with Covid for some weeks, in addition to staff with other illnesses or caring for unwell dependents.
With a serious flu virus circulating, they were “redeploying staff and flexing our services where we can”, he said. Non-urgent surgeries have been delayed, he said.
Matthews urged people with cold symptoms to stay home and not pass their virus on, even if they have tested negative for Covid.
