“All students will be sent home at 2pm today,” the school wrote, with those under 14 or catching buses to be looked after at the school, which has a roll of about 2300.
Sickness was also affecting staff at Papatoetoe High School, although classes had not been impacted.
“A whole lot of my staff have been smashed, especially the cleaning staff,” principal Vaughan Couillault said.
“We’re seeing colds, flu. We haven’t seen a big spike in Covid. But this is normal for winter, nothing out of the ordinary.”
The country was “just on the upramp” for winter ills, Royal NZ College of General Practitioners medical director Luke Bradford said.
“Every year we get winter spikes for flu … [this year] we’re a couple of weeks behind for that. But the upramp is sharp when it comes.”
Mild weather before the onset of freezing temperatures in the last week might have been responsible, he said.
“Bugs do love when we go inside and shut all the doors and windows.”
Flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (HMPV) were making their presence felt, Bradford said.
Covid-19 wasn’t seasonal, but a spike in infections was also starting to be noticed.
Those who were very unwell, short of breath or had uncontrolled high temperatures should see their doctor, Bradford said.
But others managing symptoms such as headaches, sore throats, neuralgia and body aches were best to take over-the-counter medications, drink plenty of fluids, and rest.
“And stay off work and school, stay away from vulnerable people, and wash your hands.”
The medically vulnerable should also get their flu jab if they hadn’t already, he said.
Environmental Science and Research (ESR) data late last week showed flu and Covid infections were on the rise, with a sharp jump in hospital admissions for severe respiratory infections across Auckland the previous week, RNZ reported last Thursday.
ESR data showed hospitalisations for severe respiratory infections jumped more than 50% in the week to June 1, although the rate remained about the same as last year.
Calls to Healthline for flu-like illnesses increased but were lower than at the same time last year.
There were five reported outbreaks of respiratory illness: three in aged-care facilities in Nelson-Marlborough, Capital & Coast and Bay of Plenty, and two in early childhood centres, both in the Wellington region, the data showed.
ESR wastewater surveillance showed Covid infections were also on the rise – up 75% in a week (between May 18 and 25).
The next ESR results are due out tomorrow.
Some GPs were warning last week of increasing pressure as demand for appointments rose.
However, General Practice NZ executive committee member Jo Scott-Jones said he wasn’t “hearing any noise about the winter illness pressure”.
“My information is that demand is normal for the time of year.”
Clinics had perhaps acclimatised to the winter influx, the longtime Ōpōtiki-based GP said.
“I suspect clinics are now used to always working at capacity, so any additional demand is just business as usual.”
He urged unwell people to test for Covid-19, with rapid antigen tests (RATs) available at pharmacies.
“[Test] especially if you are eligible for antivirals or living with someone who is vulnerable to Covid.”
Those with a potentially infectious illness should also call before going to the doctor, so others in waiting rooms could be protected, he said.
Health NZ national chief medical officer Professor Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard told RNZ last week that patients who couldn’t get in to see their GPs – or could not enrol with a GP at all – often resorted to hospital emergency departments (EDs).
“We know there is a direct correlation between pressure on EDs and primary care services that are struggling. But EDs are not set up in the same way – it’s not there to deal with respiratory illnesses, the more basic but high-volume illnesses that general practice is so well set up for, so that is a challenge.”
Health NZ was prepared for the inevitable winter surge – lining up extra staff, “optimising” beds and running vaccination campaigns, she said.
More than a million New Zealanders had already had flu vaccinations this year, while only about 250,000 were up to date with Covid-19 boosters, RNZ reported.
How to avoid flu and respiratory illnesses this winter
• Keep up to date with vaccinations, such as influenza, Covid-19 and pertussis if eligible, to help protect yourself and your whānau. More information is available on Health NZ’s website: https://info.health.nz/services-support/find-the-right-healthcare-for-you-and-your-whanau
• Be prepared – check your prescriptions and health plans.
• Act early if you or someone in your whānau gets sick. There is a range of health services that can help, including your local GP or community pharmacist, Healthline (0800 611 116) or Plunket line (0800 933 922), and telehealth providers.
• In an emergency, go to your nearest ED or call 111.
*Source: Health NZ
Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.