NSW health authorities issue urgent vaccine plea as state hospitals brace for tough winter flu season
Health officials across NSW have issued an urgent appeal to the public for a vaccine as the state hospital system braces for a tough winter flu season.
This comes just a year after the state recorded its highest number of flu cases on record.
Respiratory diseases such as flu become common in the cold months, and healthcare systems come under great pressure as applications peak.
The NSW Department of Health office has confirmed more than 180,000 cases of flu-like illness were recorded in NSW last year. This was a dramatic 79 percent increase compared to 2023 case figures.
Emergency departments grappled with a 45 percent increase in patients last year compared to 2024 figures.
Fearing a new surge in cases this year, the government has taken a number of preventive steps to prevent the province’s healthcare system from being overwhelmed.
These include extending service hours at some hospitals, expanding weekend coverage and shifting more patient care to digital platforms like Healthdirect, where they can avoid emergency room wait times.
More than 60 percent of Healthdirect users who wanted to go to the emergency room received care without having to join the emergency room waiting list.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park has urged the public to prioritize vaccination before numbers rise as in previous years.
“We can reduce our risk of flu by keeping our vaccines up to date, especially for our school-age children and those over 65; for young people who do not like injections, you can now get a free vaccine in the form of a nasal spray,” he said.
Nasal spray flu vaccines were announced earlier this year and are available to all young NSW residents aged 2 to 17.
Everyone six months and over is encouraged to get their annual flu vaccine, described as the “best protection against serious disease.”
Flu vaccines, including the nasal spray, have been available since April and are free for children aged six months to five years, pregnant women, Aboriginal people aged six months and over and people with serious health conditions.
Healthdirect services operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
