Winter flu surge across the country sees 50 per cent rise in hospital admissions amid low vaccination rates
In the last two weeks of June there were 431 admissions with influenza, compared with 281 in the previous two weeks, according to the latest Australian Respiratory Surveillance report.
It also revealed a 20.8 per cent increase in RSV admissions over the same period.
The data revealed 180 people had died from influenza between January and April, which is 73.1 per cent more than the same period last year. Two children under 16 have died from influenza and one has died from Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).
Intensive care unit admissions are also on the rise and a higher proportion of patients are requiring ventilation.
However, the data suggested the high rates of hospitalisation were not driven by more cases of influenza, with case numbers remaining lower than this time last year.
Patrick Reading, the director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, said the high hospitalisation rate also didn't necessarily mean this year's strain was "nastier".
"We might have an increasing cohort of people that haven't been vaccinated and-or infected in the last few years, so more vulnerable targets," he said.
So far this year, influenza notification rates have been highest among children aged five to nine and the Northern Territory has recorded the most cases per 100,000 population.
Many hospitals across the country are struggling with these increased presentations and admissions.
This week four Queensland hospitals paused elective surgeries for 48 hours due to EDs being overwhelmed.
On Wednesday, the state government announced category two and three surgeries for patients had to be postponed at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Prince Charles Hospital, Redcliffe Hospital, and Caboolture Hospital.
"This year it's been worse. There's been a 16 per cent increase in the number of people presenting, and 90 per cent presenting with flu are unvaccinated," Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls said.
Staff shortages across the country are making the situation even more difficult, with the surveillance report showing the number of intensive care staff who were unavailable due to being sick or exposed to COVID-19 increased between June 30 to July 13.
Staff shortages were particularly pronounced in South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
Influenza vaccine coverage is similar to 2024 but remains lower than the same period in 2023 and 2022.
Currently national coverage is 28.9 per cent for the 2025 flu season and only 13.7 per cent of children aged five to 14-years-old are vaccinated.
The flu vaccine is only free for children six months to five years old and then again for seniors 65 and older, or others at high risk.
Professor Reading said the low vaccination rates were a real problem.
"Vaccination is going to reduce your likelihood of going to hospital with severe disease and take some pressure off our system," he said.
"Vaccines are about $20 to $25 if you're not covered by the national immunisation program and even if you've had the flu this year you're not automatically protected against all three circulating flu strains."
Most influenza notifications this year have been for influenza A but there's a higher number of influenza B rates compared to 2024.
Influenza B can be more severe in children.
The surveillance report also showed that COVID-19 infections declined for the first time since April and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) cases remained stable.
"This may indicate the peak of the most recent wave of [COVID-19] transmission has passed nationally; however, it is too early to definitively determine," the report said.
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