Health experts plead for Queenslanders to get vaccinated as ‘flunami’ runs rife in schools, elderly

Authorities have pleaded for Queensland families to get vaccinated as the state’s flu and Covid-19 statistics notch a grim milestone.

Health experts are pleading for families to get vaccinated as the numbers of patients in Queensland hospitals with influenza surge above patients with Covid for the first time this year.

Queensland Health have revealed to The Courier-Mail that 257 people were hospitalised for influenza as of last Sunday, five more than those with Covid-19.

However in just the last week a shocking 5674 people were diagnosed with influenza compared to just 1603 cases of Covid.

Concerningly, there were 1521 confirmed new cases last week of flu in school aged children, 630 cases in preschool and 644 cases for those aged over 65 across the state.

Micrograph of Influenza A. Picture: CDC and NIAID / AFP

Infectious disease expert at the University of Queensland Dr Paul Griffin said the numbers were very concerning and with 37 deaths in Queensland at the hands of influenza alone, it is vital vaccination rates increase.

“It is important for people to pay attention to (these numbers), I think, because one of the biggest challenges we’re facing is we’ve got one of the lowest rates of vaccination for the flu that we’ve seen in a very long time,” Dr Griffin said.

“We do expect cases to rise around this time of year...but the low vaccination rates, and I think people’s fatiguing complacency with respect to talking about these sorts of infection issues are certainly contributing.”

Experts are pleading for Queenslanders to get vaccinated as numbers reach a dire low. Picture: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Influenza cases among Queensland children have been escalating at a shocking rate since early July, and with the peak of mid-August – including the Ekka – still two weeks away, experts such as Dr Griffin are concerned the virus could spread at a more rapid rate.

According to the data, more than 80 per cent of hospital admissions for flu across all age groups are patients who have not been vaccinated.

The department have now resorted to sending letters to all Queensland schools and vaccine service providers advising people that it is not too late to get vaccinated.

“I think people have lost a little bit of the appreciation that the flu is a significant viral infection in its own right – particularly in people that are vulnerable,” Dr Griffin said.

The rife numbers among young schoolchildren and the elderly are particularly concerning, Dr Griffin said, with the actual number of cases likely to be higher.

Dr Paul Griffin said Queenslanders have become complacent and fatigued with talk of vaccinations or infectious diseases post Covid. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

“The importance of taking measures to address all these respiratory infections, but particularly the flu right now, can’t be overstated. If we look at it at an individual level, we know the flu can be severe in people that are vulnerable...people do end up in hospital, people unfortunately die,” he said.

“But it’s also the strain we see on the healthcare system – I know there’s been crisis meetings today about a lack of beds in South East Queensland, so our hospitals are congested.”

Queensland Health are encouraging those who have not already been vaccinated to book an appointment, with the jab free for those over six months old.

Originally published as Health experts plead for Queenslanders to get vaccinated as ‘flunami’ runs rife in schools, elderly