'Will be significant': After two years of low numbers, the flu is back

After two years of record low influenza cases in Canberra, there have been 28 cases of flu reported to ACT Health over the past fortnight and a total of 44 cases in 2022. There were only nine cases of influenza in 2021.

Health authorities have sounded the alarm ahead of winter, with officials still preparing for the possibility of another COVID-19 peak over the cold season.

ACT chief health officer Kerryn Coleman said ACT Health was undergoing planning around testing for various respiratory illnesses. There were concerns people would not come forward for influenza testing, especially if they have already tested negative for COVID-19.

"It can be concerning that with so much focus on COVID that people forget there are other illnesses and other reasons why you might need to visit your health practitioner," Dr Coleman said.

"If you are sick there are safe ways that you can still go and see your health practitioner, you might need to ring ahead so that know you're coming, particularly if you have COVID symptoms."

The ACT has avoided influenza outbreaks since the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly due to closed international borders, but authorities are braced for a flu outbreak coupled with a winter peak in COVID cases in the territory.

Over recent months, health authorities have undertaken planning and modelling around what the dual impact of COVID-19 and influenza will be on the territory's health system.

Dr Coleman said waning immunity could result in more severe influenza illness.

"For the last two years we haven't had very much flu circulating at all so people's immune system has not been naturally boosted," she said.

"Because we haven't seen flu, people really haven't gone out and get their flu vaccines and I know last year the flu vaccine rate was really really low.

"For those two reasons our immunity will be really low this year ... we will see more [cases] and we may see more dramatic effects on people so we need to be careful."

Dr Coleman said while the number of reported influenza cases was higher than the previous two years it was still lower than what was reported in 2019. But there was a horror flu season in 2019 in the territory with close to 4000 cases reported.

Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith urged people to get their influenza vaccine ahead of winter, especially as the illness was already spreading in the Canberra community.

"[The flu season] will be significant in the context of already having COVID circulating in our community so it is really important as we prepare for winter that Canberrans think about getting their flu vaccination, particularly those who are more vulnerable to poor outcomes from flu," she said.

"While the flu season generally occurs at its peak from June to September we're already starting to see cases of flu here in the ACT so now is the best time to come forward and get your flu vaccination."

Meanwhile, the number of people hospitalised with COVID-19 in Canberra hospitals has dropped slightly. There were 65 patients in hospital in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday, which was down from 69 patients on the previous day. There were three people in intensive care.

There were 1072 new COVID-19 cases reported over the same period.

There were 27 new hospitalisations in people with COVID-19 last week, the latest epidemiological report from ACT Health has showed. There were also three people admitted to intensive care.

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The report has revealed that 75 per cent of children admitted to Canberra hospitals over the pandemic have been unvaccinated. There have been 108 people aged between 0 to 17 admitted to Canberra hospitals with COVID-19.

Overall, there have been 755 people with COVID admitted to Canberra hospitals. Of those, 38 per cent were unvaccinated, 5 per cent had received one dose, 34 per cent had received two doses and 21 per cent had received three shots. The vaccination status of the remaining 2 per cent was unknown.

ACT authorities do not yet have data on reinfection rates for COVID-19 but a spokesman said it was continuing to be investigated.

"ACT Health is currently investigating re-infection rates. These change over time based on vaccination levels and timings, as well as behaviour of specific variants. We are unable to provide an estimate at this time," the spokesman said.

Canberra's already overwhelmed health care system has come under enormous pressure in recent weeks as more patients are being admitted to Canberra hospitals who are sicker and require a longer hospitalisation.

This has partly been due to the fact that more patients are being admitted to Canberra hospitals who are sicker and require a longer hospitalisation.

Authorities have said that people have delayed seeking treatment for respiratory related illnesses and this has contributed to this.

There will be recruitment right across Canberra's health services over the coming months to deal with the demand.

Health staff have also reported significant understaffing.

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