Cases of influenza are increasing rapidly and RSV cases are popping up across the country as the pressure on the country’s health system increases.
Surveillance data collected by ESR (the Institute of Environmental Science and Research) show that Christchurch had the highest rise in new influenza A cases in the week ending June 26, with 183 cases detected.
There were also 166 new cases in the Dunedin region, 134 new cases in Auckland and 51 new flu A cases in Wellington.
RSV has also been identified in all four regions over the past two weeks, with six cases in Christchurch, five in Auckland and one each in Wellington and Dunedin, ESR said.
READ MORE:
* Should we all get vaccinated against the flu this year?
* Covid-19: Moving to red will not correct ‘extreme’ pressure on EDs, doctors say
* Measles or pertussis outbreak ‘inevitable’ amid ‘abysmal’ childhood vaccine rates
* Cheat Sheet: Covid re-infection advice has changed. Here’s what you need to know
The number of new influenza A cases in Wellington was slightly lower than the week before (from 80 to 51 cases), but cases increased across Tāmaki Makaurau, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Sungmi Kim / Stuff
Hundreds of cases of flu are reported each week across the country. (File photo)
Over the course of a week, influenza A cases increased by 18% in Christchurch (from 154 cases in the week ending 19 June).
Dr Sue Huang, ESR virologist, said there had been an “exponential” increase in flu cases and hospitalizations in the season so far and more than 3,000 cases as of June 12.
Only eight cases were detected in 2020 and 14 in 2021, amid Covid-19 restrictions.
The hospitalization rate of severe acute respiratory infections (SARIs) was now around the “low” seasonal threshold – about 6.2 per 100,000 people in the week ending June 26 – after two weeks of higher activity.
Influenza rates among SARI patients in the weeks ending June 12 and 19 exceeded rates for this time of year for the previous seven years.
Data from the Ministry of Health on Thursday showed that 68 people were in hospital in Auckland and Manukau district with SARI diseases, Covid-19 was the cause in 12.7% of cases and flu the cause of 68.4% .
This season, 21% of Kiwis have been vaccinated against the flu. Of those over 65, two-thirds were vaccinated.
Only half of the record number of vaccines insured this year have been used and at current use rates, around 400,000 will remain unused by the end of the season – prompting Pharmac to widen funded access to tamariki between the ages of 3-12.
Pharmac predicted “there would have been a higher uptake at this point”.
Dr Nikki Turner, medical director of immunization counseling center, said with a “huge” amount of flu circulating, officials want the vaccine uptake to be “greater, but … in general there [are] still a lot of [doses] go out”.
Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 cases reported daily and the rolling seven-day average also tipped evenly upwards.
Last Thursday, the continuous seven-day average of new cases was 4,817. This Thursday, it was 6,114.