Influx of COVID, flu and RSV puts strain on the health system | ABC News

Summary

Australia's health systems are under immense pressure due to a surge in winter illnesses, with a combination of flu, COVID-19, and RSV overwhelming emergency rooms. Despite a slightly lower flu level than last year, the situation is exacerbated by the addition of COVID-19 and low immunization rates across the population. The healthcare workforce crisis, particularly in general practice, is further straining the system, with insufficient doctors to manage the influx of patients and triage those who could be treated outside of emergency departments. The need for improved immunization and a restructured approach to general practice is highlighted as a potential solution.

Takeaways

• 🚨 Winter illnesses are overwhelming health systems due to a surge in flu, COVID-19, and RSV cases.
• 📈 There's an increase in flu cases, particularly in New South Wales, and a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases in Victoria.
• 🦠 The emergence of COVID-19 as an additional virus has compounded the pre-existing burden of flu and RSV.
• 🏥 Emergency rooms are overflowing, and many hospitals are operating under emergency conditions.
• 💉 Immunization rates for COVID-19 and influenza are worryingly low, especially among vulnerable groups.
• 👩‍⚕️ General practice is facing a workforce crisis, with practitioners being overburdened and unable to effectively triage patients.
• 🌐 COVID-19 is not seasonal and is rising globally, affecting winter waves predictably but also year-round.
• 💉 The potential to mitigate disease burden exists through improved vaccination efforts.
• 🏫 Increasing medical school places alone won't solve the workforce crisis without changing the incentive schemes and practice structures.
• 🤔 There's a need to reconsider the attractiveness of general practice as a career and to address the distribution of medical specialties.
• 📊 There's a significant gap in the immunization rates for influenza and COVID-19 boosters, especially among the elderly and children.

Q & A

What is causing the surge in winter illnesses that is straining health systems across the country?

A combination of flu, COVID-19, and another respiratory virus known as RSV is causing the surge in winter illnesses, leading to overflowing emergency rooms and states of emergency in many hospitals.

How does the presence of COVID-19 impact the situation compared to pre-pandemic times?

COVID-19 adds a significant burden to the health systems as it wasn't a factor pre-pandemic, exacerbating the existing issues with flu and RSV.

What is the current status of flu levels compared to last year?

Flu levels are probably slightly lower than last year, but they have increased by about 20 percent in a week in New South Wales.

What does the Wastewater testing indicate about the spread of COVID-19 in Victoria?

Wastewater testing in Victoria is showing a rapid rise in COVID-19, including the new variant, indicating an increase in community transmission.

How does the presence of three viruses (flu, RSV, and COVID-19) affect the health system's capacity?

Having three viruses instead of the usual two (flu and RSV) puts extra strain on the health system, increasing the demand on emergency services and hospital resources.

What is the workforce crisis mentioned in the script, and how does it affect the health system?

The workforce crisis refers to a shortage of general practitioners (GPs), which affects the ability of the health system to manage non-emergency cases effectively, potentially leading to overburdened emergency departments.

What is the impact of low immunization rates on the current health crisis?

Low immunization rates for COVID-19 and influenza contribute to the severity of the health crisis by increasing the number of cases and the strain on health systems.

How does the script suggest improving the situation with general practice?

The script suggests changing the incentive scheme to pay GPs more, improving the structure of general practice to make it more attractive, and addressing the negative perceptions of the profession.

What is the script's view on increasing medical school places without changing the settings?

The script suggests that simply increasing medical school places without changing the settings may not necessarily produce the desired outcome, as it might result in more specialists in fields that are not in high demand.

What are the current immunization rates for vulnerable groups mentioned in the script?

The script mentions that the overall immunization rate for influenza is about 50 percent, with particularly low rates for children under five (10%), pregnant women (unknown rate), and older Australians.

How does the script address the issue of doctors being in the wrong specialties or parts of Australia?

The script suggests that the issue is not the number of doctors per capita but rather their distribution across specialties and geographical locations, indicating a need for a more strategic allocation of medical professionals.

Outlines

00:00

🤒 Winter Illnesses Overburden Health Systems

The video script discusses the strain on health systems due to a surge in winter illnesses, including flu, COVID-19, and RSV. Emergency rooms are overwhelmed, and hospitals are in a state of emergency. The script highlights the increased burden due to the presence of COVID-19, which was not a factor pre-pandemic. It mentions that while flu levels are slightly lower than the previous year, there has been a rapid rise in cases, especially in New South Wales, and a significant increase in the new variant of COVID-19 in wastewater testing, particularly in Victoria. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that there are now three respiratory viruses in circulation, putting additional stress on the healthcare system.

🚨 Healthcare Workforce Crisis and Immunization Rates

The script addresses the healthcare workforce crisis, particularly in general practice, which is struggling to manage the influx of patients and could potentially alleviate the pressure on emergency departments. It points out that general practice is overburdened and 'leaky' in its ability to triage patients effectively. The discussion also covers the broader issue of low immunization rates, which could mitigate the burden of diseases if improved. Concerns are raised about the high proportion of Australians who have not received their most recent COVID-19 vaccine, including a significant gap in booster uptake among the elderly and vulnerable groups such as children under five and pregnant women. The script suggests that improving immunization rates could help manage the current health crisis.

Keywords

💡Winter illnesses

Winter illnesses refer to the increase in health issues that typically occur during the colder months, often due to the prevalence of respiratory infections. In the video's context, this surge is causing a strain on health systems, with a combination of flu, COVID-19, and RSV contributing to the problem. The script mentions that emergency rooms are overflowing as a result.

💡Health Systems

Health Systems encompass the organizations, people, and activities whose primary purpose is to promote, restore, and maintain health. The script discusses how these systems are under pressure due to the surge in winter illnesses, with state and territory ministers calling for more funding from the Commonwealth.

💡Flu

Flu, short for influenza, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. The script notes that flu levels are slightly lower than the previous year but have increased rapidly in a week, particularly in New South Wales, adding to the strain on health systems.

💡COVID-19

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which emerged in late 2019 and led to a global pandemic. The script highlights COVID-19 as an additional variable in the mix of winter illnesses, contributing to the burden on health systems and mentioning a rise in cases detected through wastewater testing.

💡RSV

RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. The script identifies RSV as one of the contributing factors to the surge in winter illnesses, along with flu and COVID-19, leading to increased pressure on emergency rooms.

💡Emergency rooms

Emergency rooms are specialized departments in hospitals that provide immediate care to patients with acute illnesses or severe injuries. The script describes how emergency rooms are overflowing due to the influx of patients with winter illnesses, indicating a crisis in healthcare capacity.

💡Workforce crisis

A workforce crisis refers to a situation where there is a shortage of qualified personnel to perform necessary work. In the script, it is mentioned that general practice is facing a workforce crisis, with not enough general practitioners (GPs) to manage the increased patient load, which exacerbates the strain on emergency departments.

💡General practice

General practice, also known as family medicine, is the medical specialty that provides continuing and comprehensive care to people of all ages. The script discusses the importance of general practice in managing patient flow and preventing unnecessary visits to emergency departments, but notes that it is currently overburdened.

💡Immunization rates

Immunization rates refer to the proportion of a population that has been vaccinated against a particular disease. The script points out that low immunization rates for COVID-19 and influenza are contributing factors to the surge in winter illnesses, with a significant gap in booster vaccinations and a particularly low rate for children and older Australians.

💡Booster

A booster is an additional dose of a vaccine that is given to increase the body's immune response to a disease. The script mentions that a worryingly high proportion of Australians have not received their most recent COVID-19 booster, which could help mitigate the impact of the disease.

💡Incentive scheme

An incentive scheme is a system designed to motivate certain behaviors or actions by offering rewards or benefits. The script suggests that changing the incentive scheme for general practitioners, such as paying them more, could make the profession more attractive and help address the workforce crisis in general practice.

Highlights

A surge in winter illnesses is putting a strain on health systems nationwide.

State and territory ministers are demanding more funding from the Commonwealth.

A combination of flu, COVID-19, and RSV is causing emergency rooms to overflow.

Dr. Norman Swan discusses the severity of the influx of illnesses.

COVID-19 adds a significant burden to the existing flu and RSV situation.

Flu levels are slightly lower than last year but have increased rapidly in recent weeks.

Wastewater testing in Victoria shows a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases.

The new variant of COVID-19 is increasing in the community.

Three respiratory viruses are now circulating, adding strain to the health system.

Health ministers are aware of the situation but funding may not be the solution.

There is a workforce crisis in general practice, affecting the ability to manage patient flow.

General practice is overburdened and struggles to triage patients effectively.

COVID-19 is not seasonal and continues to rise globally.

Low immunization rates are a concern, especially for COVID-19 and influenza.

A significant gap in booster vaccinations exists among the elderly and vulnerable groups.

Improving immunization rates could mitigate the burden of these diseases.

Increasing medical school places may not address the shortage of general practitioners.

Changing incentive schemes and improving the structure of general practice could attract more doctors.

Australia has enough doctors per capita, but they are in the wrong specialties or locations.

There is a need for more patient-focused education for medical students.

Transcripts

a surge in Winter illnesses is straining

Health Systems across the country as

state and territory ministers demand

greater funding support from the

Commonwealth a combination of flu covid

and another respiratory virus known as

RSV has left emergency rooms overflowing

and force many hospitals into state of

emergency co-host of the Health Report

and what's that rash Dr Norman Swan

takes us through the severity of this

latest influx of illnesses it's always

cute at this time of year here and the

added variable is that now you've got an

extra virus in the mix which is covid-19

which wasn't there PR pre pandemic

sounds like the obvious thing to say but

it adds a significant burden to what was

there already flu is probably a slightly

lower level than last year but it's gone

up maybe 20 odd per in a in a week at

least in New South Wales um and Co is

going up as well more slowly but it's

the Wastewater testing particularly in

Victoria is showing a really rapid rise

uh um and that the new variant of Co is

showing an increase in Wastewater and to

to a lesser extent on testing so you

know that is to come on top of flu so

four or five years ago you only had flu

and RSV this respiratory sensity of

virus and now you've got three of them

out there and that does put extra strain

the one thing one cabat you can put on

the headlines is is

predictable they knew it was

coming and money while the health

ministers are asking for money it's hard

to see how money is going to solve their

problem when you've got people turning

up in Ed the pro part of the problem

here is we've got a Workforce crisis in

general practice people AR going into

general practice and general practice

can hold the line in with situations

like this and see people who might not

need to be in the emergency department

and triage them in a sense but general

practice is overburdened and it's in a

sense leaky in terms of its ability to

hold to hold the line which is not the

fault of individual GPS who working hard

it's the system so is it the impact just

of seasonal illness as well as those

workplace shortages that you spoke of or

is a bigger problem at play well it is a

bigger problem first of all Co is not

seasonal Co is rising around the world

so so Co is not yet a winter illness

it's just keeps on coming and going in a

wave but it does you the wave

predictably does come in in Winter uh

predictably but not only in Winter

immunization rates are low um the number

of the proportion of people who have not

had not had their most recent covid

vaccine is worryingly high and there are

still a lot of Australians who haven't

had their third booster um and the if

you look at people in residential Age

Care people over 75 there's probably a

30% Gap in people who are yet to get it

and if you look at influenza which is

also a Ser potentially a serious ill

our overall immunization rate is about

50 odd per. and in the vulnerable groups

so particularly vulnerable group as

children aged not to um five their

immunization rate is 10% and they're a

vulnerable group pregnant women we don't

know what the rate is and older

Australians are still pretty low so we

could actually mitigate the burden of

these diseases by improving immunization

you mentioned the shortage of GPS as

well toward lifting the restrictions on

medical School places make a difference

not necessarily because you just might

get more of the same if you don't change

the settings just increasing the funnel

at one side will possibly just produce

more plastic surgeons and general

surgeons and um dermatologists and so on

and not necessarily put people into the

occupations that you want them to go in

uh the way to do that is to change the

incentive scheme pay GPS more um and um

stop talking about general practice so

negatively because it is a rewarding a a

rewarding career but we've got to change

the structure of general practice to

make it more attractive just we've

already got quite a lot of doctors per

capita in the population compared to

other countries they're just in the

wrong Specialties in the wrong parts of

Australia so just making them you know

we haven't got enough patience at the

moment to teach students on so I'm not

quite sure what you're going to do with

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