Daylight savings has ended and the weather has turned cooler, and so it follows that illnesses are on the rise.
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According to NSW Health data, cases of both COVID and the flu are increasing and health officials have advised people to book in their vaccinations before the winter season hits.
The latest weekly Respiratory Surveillance Surveillance report, issued on March 30, shows a gradual increase in the number of COVID case notifications, as well as admissions from emergency departments across the state.
There is also an increase in "worker furloughing, suggesting a continued increased level of COVID-19 transmission in the community", NSW Health said.
Statewide, there were 8874 people diagnosed with COVID-19 in the latest week, an increase of 4.8 per cent on the previous week.
Of these, 498 cases were in the Illawarra Shoalhaven health district.
There were also 29 COVID-19 deaths reported in the past week, with two in the Illawarra.
NSW Health notifiable diseases data also shows flu cases are significantly higher than this time last year, which has prompted experts to warn that people should prioritise their annual flu shot.
In NSW, there have been about 5960 cases of flu in the first three months of the year, while in 2022 there were just 436 cases at this stage. Cases then peaked higher than in any month in the past five years in June 2022.
In the Illawarra, there were 320 flu cases between January and March this year, compared to just four in the same period in 2022. Cases peaked in the Illawarra in June last year, when there were more than 3800 in the month.
Looking at pre-COVID data, there were 6891 NSW flu cases in the early months of 2020 and 7462 in the first quarter of 2019.
The total number of flu cases in 2022 was almost exactly the same as the 2019 total.
According to health researchers Robert Booy and Ian Barr, who published an article in The Conversation last month, this year's higher flu case numbers are not cause for alarm.
"The start, length and severity of influenza seasons vary and are often unpredictable," they said.
They said this year, community immunity to the flu will be less than in pre-COVID times, because of fewer influenza infections during COVID restrictions combined with lower influenza vaccine uptake in recent years.
"So the 2023 flu season may be at least moderately severe," they said.
"This remains speculation. Flu routinely surprises us.
"The severity of the coming Australian influenza season will be influenced by the types of influenza that circulate, when the surge starts and when the season peaks."
Professor Booy and Dr Barr said people should be vaccinated in April or May for the best protection.
"Now is a good time to start preparing to get your flu vaccine," they said, noting there were low rates of vaccination in 2022.
"Ask your GP or pharmacist when you can book yourself in."
"The 2023 vaccine has been updated to protect against more recently circulating strains."
NSW Health advises that, as COVID-19 and flu are both circulating in NSW, vaccines for both can be given at the same time.
"Flu vaccination is recommended annually for everyone in Australia aged 6 months and over," the health department says.
"Flu vaccination is always free for people aged 65 years and over, children aged 6 months to under 5 years old, Aboriginal people, pregnant women and people at higher risk of severe illness from flu."
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.
