In South Australia, a Code Yellow emergency was declared due to a new flu and Covid wave that has overwhelmed the region’s public hospitals.
On Friday, the state’s health chief executive said that many elective procedures would be postponed, and some patients would be transferred to other regional hospitals.
As the number of people presenting with Covid continues to increase, she noted that she’s also seeing a rise in cases of heart failure and pneumonia.
These conditions can be triggered by viral illnesses that affect older individuals.
During this period, she noted that the hospital has seen a 200 more patients than during the same time last year.
She attributed the increase in sicknesses to respiratory illnesses. As of Friday, around 270 staff members were out sick due to the flu and Covid, and 140 more individuals were in the hospital with the same condition.
Nicola Spurrier, the chief public health officer of Australia, warned that the flu could cause severe health conditions for children and adults. She urged parents to get their kids and older individuals vaccinated. She said that the flu is affecting various groups, such as the elderly and those presenting to hospitals.
According to Ms Lawrence, there weren’t enough beds available to accommodate the number of patients being treated in the hospital. To address the situation, she said that the facility would use any available space deemed safe to do so. The declaration of an emergency allows the government to implement a response and reallocate resources.
Priority two and three procedures will be postponed as the hospital tries to regain control over the situation. In addition, some patients will be kept at home or in care facilities. Among those who were scheduled to undergo gallbladder removal was Simone King.
Simone said she was worried about having another gallstone due to the postponement of her gallbladder surgery. In other states, the number of people experiencing respiratory illnesses has also increased. Due to the seriousness of the situation, health officials in NSW have urged individuals aged 65 and above to get vaccinated.
A report released by NSW’s health department revealed that the number of influenza notifications has increased by 27 percent and the number of Covid-19 cases by 23 percent. Kerry Chant, the chief health officer of the state, said that despite the seriousness of the situation, vaccination rates weren’t where they should be.
Dr. Chant noted that vaccination rates among the older population in NSW have been low, especially due to how they are at higher risk of experiencing severe illnesses. With the flu cases expected to increase during the next couple of weeks, it’s important that people get vaccinated. The report also noted that notifications of Covid-19 had increased significantly across the different age groups in the state.
It noted that notifications of COVID-19 had increased significantly in the last week for people aged 90 and above. The report also stated that the number of cases of RSV was high in children under four. However, the situation started to stabilize in these kids.
Notifications per week had gone up by 4 percent, and a spotlight was placed on pneumonia and whooping cough. It was revealed that the highest cases of whooping cough were reported in kids aged five to 14. Between 2022 and 2024, influenza notifications had increased significantly. From 2022 to 2024, the number of notifications involving the virus increased from one to 10.8 cases per 100,000 people.
In 2024, the number of notifications about pneumonia has already reached 85.4 per 100,000 people. Authorities are worried about the potential impact of pneumonia, which can be life-threatening. It has been reported that it can trigger unusually high emergency room visits among young adults and children.