Slightly off topic. With the COVID lockdowns and restrictions of the past, influenza rates were well down but this year is projected to be a bad one. This week the state government announced free flu vaccinations.
It’s a great idea. Especially, in addition to keeping people healthier, it will reduce the impact on the economy already affected by a large number of COVID sick days.
On the first day I heard complaints on the radio from receptionists at GPs about the difficulties and how they would be inundated. However, I passed a pharmacy and they had a QR code out the front to book an appointment. It sent you to a Guild booking system where you could pick from a long list of appointments by day, time and pharmacy starting with the closest. Great system and up and running immediately. Perhaps we have learned some valuable lessons from the COVID pandemic that can be applied to other health issues.
I’m not against free vaccinations - but we need to do a better job of promoting that a flu vax is available every year from about March and is only about $30 as well that it’s also cheap insurance against many flu strains (and a lot of workplaces & PHI will cover the cost).
I think people have vaccination fatigue unfortunately and aren’t bothering.
My boss reminded us of the free vax our company is offering. Out of curiosity, he asked us in our team brief last week, how many had the flu vax this year. Besides me and the manager, there was only one other person out of 25 who had it.
Speaking from a Melbourne perspective, there’s been some discussion in the media about whether masks should be brought back as we head into winter and see case numbers remaining high.
Do we think that mandatory masks indoors are necessary (or at the very least strongly encouraged)? I can’t see the Government mandating anything because it risks upsetting sections of the community ahead of the upcoming state election.
From what I saw on the weekend. About 90% of people on the trains are wearing masks and about 50% in shops even though it isn’t mandated. I think it mask wearing has picked up in the last few weeks. Maybe we won’t need mandates, but I wouldn’t be too fussed if they did come back.