Surveillance systems need to be (re-)designed to detect, anticipate and forecast the combined burden of acute viral respiratory infections. Looking ahead, this combined threat will need careful attention. The combined impact of these three viruses may be significant. However, for the first time in Australia, the SARS-CoV-2 wave may coincide almost completely with influenza and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) waves. Thankfully, we do not expect the health system to come under the pressure from COVID seen during the BA.5 wave in winter 2022. This is due both to the lag between infection and hospitalisation and we are seeing a shift in infections to older people as the wave progresses. Hospitalisations for those infected with COVID may stay elevated for a while longer. However, forecasts for most other jurisdictions suggest declines have begun or are imminent.īut as always, there is uncertainty in how the wave will develop, and we cannot exclude the possibility of sustained epidemic activity over a longer period. There is some debate about whether New South Wales has reached the peak of its wave. Loading Twitter content Are we at the peak of the current wave? So reported cases are now a smaller fraction of all infections than in previous waves. We also know from weekly surveys that people are less likely to test for COVID and report their results at this stage of the pandemic. We are already seeing fewer people with confirmed infections and fewer people who are unwell requiring hospitalisation. While these two factors counter each other, overall we expect to see reduced health impacts compared with previous waves. So it is easier for viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID) to be transmitted. Infections should also occur over a longer period of time.īut we also know people are mixing and socialising more than in previous waves. This means the overall number of infections in the current wave should be fewer than in previous ones. With most people in Australia now having been vaccinated against COVID, infected, or both, we expect the virus to spread more slowly through the population. Australia's COVID cases and seven-day rolling average, showing how the latest wave is long and drawn-out.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |