Experts encourage Aussies to get vaccinated as ‘flu-nami’ overwhelms hospitals!
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As the chill of winter descends upon us, residents in one Aussie state are facing a health crisis unlike any in recent memory.
A surge in influenza cases, colloquially termed a 'flunami', is overwhelming hospitals and putting the state's healthcare system under immense pressure.
This unprecedented wave of illness is not only a cause for concern but a call to action for all, especially our seniors, who are among the most vulnerable.
The term 'flunami' might sound like a quirky blend of ‘flu’ and ‘tsunami’, but the situation it describes is far from amusing.
Influenza, a formidable adversary in any typical year, has returned with a vengeance after a period of relative quiet due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The easing of these measures has seen the flu come roaring back, catching many off-guard.
The statistics are alarming: Queensland Health figures indicate that hospitalisations for the flu have surpassed those for COVID-19 for the first time this year.
As of last Sunday, July 28, 257 people had been hospitalised for flu, and flu-related deaths have already reached 37 this winter.
Over 80 per cent of those admitted to hospitals for the flu are unvaccinated individuals, highlighting the critical importance of flu shots.
In the past week, 5,674 new flu diagnoses were made compared to 1,603 COVID-19 cases, and 37 flu-related deaths have already occurred this winter.
The impact is felt across all age groups, with 1,521 schoolchildren, 630 preschoolers, and 644 individuals over 65 affected.
This broad reach shows that the flu does not discriminate and underscores the need for widespread vaccination.
Infectious diseases expert Dr Paul Griffin noted that the volume of flu cases is putting a significant strain on the healthcare system.
Meanwhile, Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Catherine McDougall stated, ‘While hospitals in south-east Queensland are under pressure from respiratory illness admissions, anyone presenting to our hospitals will receive care.’
‘Our hospitals have well-established measures in place to manage surges in respiratory illnesses to ensure beds are available and patients continue to receive high-quality care.’
‘As is standard practice, meetings occur daily to safely and effectively manage any increases in patient demand,’ she added.
According to Dr Griffin, ‘It is one of our lowest years of (flu) vaccine uptake, which, is a little disappointing.’
‘We lobbied very hard to get the vaccine funded ahead of time for everyone, and the government, to their credit, did do that.’
‘So in Queensland at the moment, it's free for everyone who's eligible. But despite that, we've actually seen fairly low uptake.’
‘And in the context of the numbers (of people with flu) we're seeing at the moment and the impact on the healthcare system, that is quite disappointing,’ he continued.
Dr Griffin attributed the lower-than-expected vaccine uptake to several different factors.
‘We've focused so much on Covid over the last few years—we've also asked a lot of people to try and mitigate the spread of Covid—and I think there's an element of fatigue and frustration with a lot of those measures,’ he explained.
He mentioned that some individuals have overlooked the importance of the flu.
‘We've been hearing so much about Covid numbers and the impact of Covid that people may have forgotten that the flu is around and is a very significant viral infection in its own right,’ Dr Griffin remarked.
‘Misinformation about vaccination and its benefits and its safety has also transcended to other vaccines outside of Covid.’
According to him, people are thinking, ‘What's the point? I wouldn't get that vaccine. It doesn't stop you getting it anyway.’
However, he argued that this perspective is incorrect.
‘We know that the vaccine is not perfect. It doesn't necessarily absolutely stop you [from] getting the flu,’ Dr Griffin explained.
‘But what it does do is significantly alter your trajectory and reduce the probability of getting more severe disease and requiring hospitalisation, for example.’
‘We know the vaccine does do a great job of that,’ he continued.
Dr Griffin further discussed that ‘if our vaccine rates are low, then we have a population that's more susceptible to progressing to those more significant manifestations, requiring hospitalisation and potentially even not surviving’.
The additional hospitalisations of unvaccinated individuals are placing immense pressure on the healthcare system.
‘The challenge is that our healthcare system essentially operates at capacity at baseline, so you add any additional challenges to that, and it does make it difficult,’ Dr Griffin stated.
‘And at the moment, with high numbers of influenza hospitalisations (and) significant numbers of people in hospital with Covid and some other unique challenges, it has put a significant strain on our healthcare system.’
‘There's essentially no (hospital) beds anywhere in south-east Queensland,’ he added.
Epidemiologist Catherine Bennett also noted that ‘it is a concern that we have seen a drop in flu vaccines’.
She mentioned that the slow vaccine uptake is because ‘there were warnings early on that it wasn't quite as severe as people perhaps were expecting’.
‘So if that's usually a prompt for people to think about going and getting a vaccine back in April or May, maybe they've left it a bit late this year.’
‘But we might be paying the price for that. It has played out as quite a nasty flu season across the country,’ Dr Bennett continued.
As Queensland faces a significant flu outbreak, the strain on the healthcare system has been notable.
This comes amid growing concerns about a surge in cases of the ‘triple virus’, which includes influenza, COVID-19, and RSV.
With hospitals already under pressure, it's crucial for Australians, especially seniors, to be aware of the increased risk and take steps to protect themselves.
Have you gotten your flu shot yet? Have you noticed an increase in flu cases around you? Let's discuss in the comments below and support each other through this challenging time.
A surge in influenza cases, colloquially termed a 'flunami', is overwhelming hospitals and putting the state's healthcare system under immense pressure.
This unprecedented wave of illness is not only a cause for concern but a call to action for all, especially our seniors, who are among the most vulnerable.
The term 'flunami' might sound like a quirky blend of ‘flu’ and ‘tsunami’, but the situation it describes is far from amusing.
Influenza, a formidable adversary in any typical year, has returned with a vengeance after a period of relative quiet due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The easing of these measures has seen the flu come roaring back, catching many off-guard.
Queensland is facing a ‘flunami’, with a surge in flu cases overwhelming the healthcare system and hospitalisations exceeding those for COVID-19 for the first time this year. Credit: Unsplash
The statistics are alarming: Queensland Health figures indicate that hospitalisations for the flu have surpassed those for COVID-19 for the first time this year.
As of last Sunday, July 28, 257 people had been hospitalised for flu, and flu-related deaths have already reached 37 this winter.
Over 80 per cent of those admitted to hospitals for the flu are unvaccinated individuals, highlighting the critical importance of flu shots.
In the past week, 5,674 new flu diagnoses were made compared to 1,603 COVID-19 cases, and 37 flu-related deaths have already occurred this winter.
The impact is felt across all age groups, with 1,521 schoolchildren, 630 preschoolers, and 644 individuals over 65 affected.
This broad reach shows that the flu does not discriminate and underscores the need for widespread vaccination.
Infectious diseases expert Dr Paul Griffin noted that the volume of flu cases is putting a significant strain on the healthcare system.
Meanwhile, Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Catherine McDougall stated, ‘While hospitals in south-east Queensland are under pressure from respiratory illness admissions, anyone presenting to our hospitals will receive care.’
‘Our hospitals have well-established measures in place to manage surges in respiratory illnesses to ensure beds are available and patients continue to receive high-quality care.’
‘As is standard practice, meetings occur daily to safely and effectively manage any increases in patient demand,’ she added.
According to Dr Griffin, ‘It is one of our lowest years of (flu) vaccine uptake, which, is a little disappointing.’
‘We lobbied very hard to get the vaccine funded ahead of time for everyone, and the government, to their credit, did do that.’
‘So in Queensland at the moment, it's free for everyone who's eligible. But despite that, we've actually seen fairly low uptake.’
‘And in the context of the numbers (of people with flu) we're seeing at the moment and the impact on the healthcare system, that is quite disappointing,’ he continued.
Dr Griffin attributed the lower-than-expected vaccine uptake to several different factors.
‘We've focused so much on Covid over the last few years—we've also asked a lot of people to try and mitigate the spread of Covid—and I think there's an element of fatigue and frustration with a lot of those measures,’ he explained.
He mentioned that some individuals have overlooked the importance of the flu.
‘We've been hearing so much about Covid numbers and the impact of Covid that people may have forgotten that the flu is around and is a very significant viral infection in its own right,’ Dr Griffin remarked.
‘Misinformation about vaccination and its benefits and its safety has also transcended to other vaccines outside of Covid.’
According to him, people are thinking, ‘What's the point? I wouldn't get that vaccine. It doesn't stop you getting it anyway.’
However, he argued that this perspective is incorrect.
‘We know that the vaccine is not perfect. It doesn't necessarily absolutely stop you [from] getting the flu,’ Dr Griffin explained.
‘But what it does do is significantly alter your trajectory and reduce the probability of getting more severe disease and requiring hospitalisation, for example.’
‘We know the vaccine does do a great job of that,’ he continued.
Dr Griffin further discussed that ‘if our vaccine rates are low, then we have a population that's more susceptible to progressing to those more significant manifestations, requiring hospitalisation and potentially even not surviving’.
The additional hospitalisations of unvaccinated individuals are placing immense pressure on the healthcare system.
‘The challenge is that our healthcare system essentially operates at capacity at baseline, so you add any additional challenges to that, and it does make it difficult,’ Dr Griffin stated.
‘And at the moment, with high numbers of influenza hospitalisations (and) significant numbers of people in hospital with Covid and some other unique challenges, it has put a significant strain on our healthcare system.’
‘There's essentially no (hospital) beds anywhere in south-east Queensland,’ he added.
Epidemiologist Catherine Bennett also noted that ‘it is a concern that we have seen a drop in flu vaccines’.
She mentioned that the slow vaccine uptake is because ‘there were warnings early on that it wasn't quite as severe as people perhaps were expecting’.
‘So if that's usually a prompt for people to think about going and getting a vaccine back in April or May, maybe they've left it a bit late this year.’
‘But we might be paying the price for that. It has played out as quite a nasty flu season across the country,’ Dr Bennett continued.
As Queensland faces a significant flu outbreak, the strain on the healthcare system has been notable.
This comes amid growing concerns about a surge in cases of the ‘triple virus’, which includes influenza, COVID-19, and RSV.
With hospitals already under pressure, it's crucial for Australians, especially seniors, to be aware of the increased risk and take steps to protect themselves.
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