Luke Kirkness: This flu season, take charge of your health to avoid overloading the system

OPINION

As flu season sweeps across the country and the ongoing battle against Covid-19 claims lives, it’s critical that Kiwis don’t let their health take a back seat.

With winter here - typically the busiest time for healthcare services - we must all take proactive measures to avoid overwhelming the system.

Close to 3000 Kiwis have died from Covid and health experts expect 1000 to die from the virus this year — twice the number of deaths caused by influenza, and three times the road toll.

As highlighted by NZME in April, winter is the time when respiratory viruses love to unleash their fury.

Dr Jemma Geoghegan, an infectious disease expert, reminds us that Covid-19 is not alone with large outbreaks of established viruses such as RSV and influenza in recent years.

How can we combat sickness and protect ourselves and others? Geoghegan says it’s crucial to stay up to date with vaccinations.

While we may have received our initial shots, immunity can wane.

She encourages New Zealanders to not only consider Covid boosters but also get the flu vaccine, with these measures acting like a winter coat for the immune system.

When it comes to seeking medical assistance, it’s essential we gauge the severity of the situation.

In emergency departments, the sickest patients take precedence, which means that less urgent cases may experience longer waiting times.

If uncertainty lingers, remember that Healthline is available to help assess the urgency of your situation.

While it’s unknown how bad our winter outbreak of sickness will be, we can shape the narrative.

It’s not worth another major and expensive publicity campaign about the importance of vaccines and boosters but it’s vital we remind one another about acting responsibly.

On a recent flight from Dunedin to Auckland, the person behind me was a coughing and spluttering mess.

To make matters worse, they were not wearing a mask.

If you are sick, it’s crucial to stay at home, minimising the risk of spreading illness to others.

It’s something most of us can do — challenges such as work or getting groceries are problems of the past with the ability for office workers to work from home and food deliveries to the door.

By staying home when sick, we become the frontline defenders in the battle against overburdened hospitals and exhausted medical professionals and shield vulnerable members of society.

As winter descends, we have an opportunity to demonstrate our collective strength and resilience by making a simple yet significant choice: to prioritise our health and the wellbeing of others.

This will ensure a healthier and safer winter for all.

Luke Kirkness is an assistant news director for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, covering general news. He previously worked at the NZ Herald for three years, mainly as a consumer affairs reporter. He won Student Journalist of the Year in 2019 at the Voyager Media Awards.