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Flu To Hit Harder + Later In 2021

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Flu To Hit Harder + Later In 2021

on 12 May 2021 11:09 AM
Blog Category: Safety Blog, Noise Blog

An article in The Australian on the 26 April quoted infectious disease experts as saying that conditions are ripe for a rebound flu season this year.1

It is expected that this year’s flu season will hit harder and later than in previous years.

Professor Terry Nolan, head of vaccine and immunisation research at the University of Melbourne, said low flu numbers last year could actually be a danger for this year. The low numbers mean that herd protection from the flu will be lower than normal and create reduced immunity.

“It would be fair to expect more influenza cases this year,” Professor Nolan was quoted as saying in The Australian.

Research suggests that a quarter of Australians are complacent about getting an influenza shot this year and this could make your business vulnerable.

High Demand For Flu Vaccine

Last year there was such a demand for flu vaccinations that many pharmacies and GP’s ran out of stock. Even though 1.7 million extra doses were made available, The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners said there was a shortage of flu vaccines in Victoria. 2

2021 is expected to see just as high demand, if not higher. That’s why it’s important to lock in a booking for your Workplace Flu Vaccinations as early as possible.

Flu Is Highly Contagious

The flu is highly contagious and can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Droplets containing the influenza virus also settle onto surfaces, such as keyboards, telephones and doorknobs.  If you touch one of these surfaces the virus can pass from your hands to your nose, mouth or eyes. Importantly, people with the flu can be infectious from 24 hours before they display symptoms. This means that they can unwittingly spread the flu to your workplace.

Whilst the global circulation of the flu is well down for 2021 so far, there have been outbreaks in East Timor, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, India and Vietnam.3

Vaccination Options

As your staff may only just be returning to work onsite with some days still spent working from home, we provide vaccination options for you. Experience has shown us that the more accessible a flu vaccination is, the more likely people are to get vaccinated.

We provide workplace vaccinations (either onsite or in your carpark) as well as pharmacy vouchers for a Flu Vaccination that staff members can redeem when it suits them.

COVID And The Flu Vaccination

The Department of Health3  recommends that:

You do not need to let this hold up your Workplace Flu Vaccination Program as we can also supply pharmacy vaccination vouchers for staff who cannot have the vaccination on the day we are there.

References

1    https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/conditions-are-ripe-for-rebound-flu-season-infectious-disease-experts/news-story/f3a7551ec5f8a9467a52b2caa5b1476b 

2    https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/flu-vaccine-supply-fails-to-meet-high-demand 

3    https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/atagi-advice-on-influenza-and-covid-19-vaccines


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