If you've been plagued by endless illnesses this winter, the latest data from NSW Health might provide some welcome relief.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The latest weekly respiratory surveillance report, which covers COVID-19, influenza and RSV, shows that case numbers for all three illnesses are likely on their way down.
While COVID numbers remain high, NSW Health said the data was now showing that "infections in NSW have peaked, and hospitalisations have plateaued".
The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 across the state remained stable, at 2,267 at the end of this week compared to 2,263 at the end of last week.
There were 886 people with COVID-19 admitted to hospital and 84 people admitted to ICU this week. The seven-day rolling average of daily hospital admissions decreased by 14.8% to an average of 127 daily admissions from 149 last week.
There were 5497 new cases of COVID-19 in Illawarra Shoalhaven, compared to 5805 the week before.
52 people across the region were admitted to hospital, with three admitted to the ICU and 10 people were among 164 people in NSW who died from COVID-19 in the last week.
In its report, NSW Health notes that the rate of COVID-19 notifications per 100,000 population has decreased or remained stable across all Local Health Districts and decreased or remained stable across all age groups except those 10-19 years of age.
For these school aged children and teenagers - who returned to school from holidays almost three weeks ago - cases were up to 11,380 statewide compared to 8575 the week before.
There were also slightly more cases in young kids, with 5640 cases (compared to 4134) in the 5-9 age group and 4093 cases (compared to 3907) in the 0-4 age group.
To help reduce severe disease from Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariant infections, adults aged 50 to 64 are now recommended to receive a winter booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, adults aged 30 to 49 years can also receive a winter booster dose.
The report also shows the number of influenza cases, with just 101 cases reported in the Illawarra Shoalhaven in the last week.
After the region recorded a high of 1163 cases in mid June, NSW Health says influenza activity haas returned to low levels, but notes vaccination continues to be recommended for all ages.
Detections of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have decreased this week, with 2,225 cases detected this week, compared to 3,024 cases last week.
Emergency department presentations for bronchiolitis (which is often caused by RSV) continue to be above the usual seasonal level but are decreasing after a peak in early July, NSW Health said.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
