Queensland records 20 flu deaths in 2020 on the back of pandemic public health measures
Queensland flu-related deaths have plummeted to 20 this year on the back of strict public health measures introduced during the coronavirus pandemic.
QLD News
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Queensland flu-related deaths have plummeted to 20 this year on the back of strict public health measures introduced during the coronavirus pandemic.
That’s more than 12 times fewer than the 249 flu-associated deaths during the same period in 2019, one of Queensland’s worst influenza seasons on record.
At the same time, Queensland has had six deaths as a result of the pandemic virus, the last in April – an 83-year-old male cruise ship passenger.
Australian Medical Association Queensland president Chris Perry said people needed to maintain public health measures, such as frequent hand washing, avoiding hand shake greetings and staying away from work and school when sick to keep both flu and coronavirus infections as low as possible.
He said both viruses were potentially deadly, and not just to the elderly.
With a second wave of the pandemic virus under way in Europe, Dr Perry, an ear, nose and throat surgeon, said Queenslanders should ward against complacency to avoid hospitals and intensive care units becoming overwhelmed, as they have overseas.
While early modelling suggested Queensland could see 10,000 people dying during a first wave of the virus in Australia, the state has so far kept the number of deaths to single digits.
“We don’t want our hospitals closed for everything but COVID, we don’t want our intensive care units being overrun and people not being able to get into intensive care,” Dr Perry said.
“We don’t want doctors having to make decisions about who will go into intensive care.”
Dr Perry said locking down Queensland nursing homes during outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, had resulted in keeping deaths from both flu and COVID-19 low.
Queensland Health data, obtained by The Courier-Mail, shows seven hospital and health service districts have not recorded any flu deaths in 2019, including Sunshine Coast, West Moreton, Torres and Cape, Central Queensland, Cairns and Hinterland, South West and North West.
The Metro South Health district in and around Brisbane has recorded the most flu-associated deaths in 2020 with six, followed by Gold Coast with four.
Wide Bay and Townsville have each had three flu deaths this year, while Central West, Darling Downs, Mackay and Metro North have all recorded one.
Mandatory flu vaccinations for people visiting aged care facilities have probably helped keep influenza deaths low this year.
Griffith University infectious disease expert Paul Van Buynder said more Australians had been vaccinated against the flu than ever before in 2020.
He said the closure of Australia’s international borders as a result of the coronavirus pandemic would have also protected the population from flu.
“I think the real challenge will come for us when we finally open our borders and flu and COVID come back in more strength,” Professor Van Buynder said.
“You can’t suppress this forever in Australia without having the economy totally trashed. That’s going to be the challenge.”
While a coronavirus vaccine may be available at some stage next year, Professor Van Buynder does not expect it to be 100 per cent effective.
“I think if we’re lucky, we’ll have a vaccine that you’ll need two doses, that’s about 50 to 60 per cent effective,” he said.
With flu jabs also varying between 40-60 per cent effectiveness, simple infection control measures, such as people being encouraged to socially distance and to wear masks in crowded places are expected to be maintained moving forward in Queensland.
