A state of flu fighters

Cases at a 10-year low

CORONAVIRUS restrictions, social distancing, a focus on good hygiene and more people being vaccinated are being credited with reducing Tasmanian influenza cases to their lowest level in 10 years.

Federal health statistics show there have been 161 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu to date in Tasmania in 2020, compared to last year when there were 3137.

The last time there were fewer laboratory confirmed cases of the flu in the state was in 2010 (107 cases).

Hobart GP Scott Macrossan said he and his colleagues at Battery Point Medical had not seen a case of influenza this year.

“We have a large number of patients come through each day and we haven’t seen one case,’’ he said. “Ordinarily, you would expect to see about 30 or 40 in a flu season.”

Dr Macrossan said rules aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 meant people were contracting contagious diseases on a lesser scale.

“People are learning to keep their distance, they are washing their hands and they are using hand sanitisers, and they aren’t socialising and going out in groups as much,” he said.

In contrast, there have been

229 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Tasmania, but only two of those have been reported in the past four months.

Dr Macrossan said there had been a strong upsurge in people coming forward for vaccinations, and the practice had to employ an extra nurse and renovate a nursing area to cope with rising demand.

Pharmacies offering vaccinations have told a similar story, with Terry White Chemmart Rosny Park and Lindisfarne part-owner Helen Blake saying the stores had done more than double the amount of flu vaccinations compared to last year.

“We have had a much higher intake of people coming in this year, which I think initially spiked once COVID had hit in March,’’ she said.

“Following that, a lot of workplaces, including health care and aged care, started making it a requirement you had to have the flu vaccine to continue working.”