Barr said there were two major strains of influenza A: H3N2, which accounted for about 75 percent of cases tested in his lab, and H1N1 (a descendant of swine flu), which accounted for 25 percent of cases.
Barr said the H3N2 strain affected all groups, but older people were more likely to be hospitalized.
He said the H1N1 pandemic strain mainly affected young children and school-age children and that in recent major outbreaks in Sydney, where children had landed in hospital, it was this strain that was responsible.
The start of the flu season seems to have taken many people by surprise. Only about 25 percent of Victorians have been vaccinated against the flu this year and less than 13 percent of children under the age of five, according to May 22 figures.
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The flu vaccine is now free through the National Immunization Program for vulnerable groups, including those aged six months to five years and those aged 65 and over, but The age It has been said that plans are imminent for the state government to extend the program to everyone in Victoria, six months or more, following similar moves by the governments of NSW and Queensland.
A health source, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to detail what they knew, said GPs would be reimbursed for any private stock they used as long as they did not cover their patients, and pharmacists They would pay a service fee to administer the gratuity. vaccines to people over the age of five, as long as they do not cover their customers.
The source said anyone in Victoria would be eligible, even if they did not have a Medicare card.
The state government did not comment on the timing or details of the expected announcement.
Infectious disease doctor Professor Allen Cheng, a former Victorian deputy director of health, said his message to the public was to “wear masks and do everything possible to try to stop the spread of COVID and the flu as much as they can.”
“Just because you don’t have to do something doesn’t mean you don’t have to do it yet,” Cheng said.
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