Medical centres are packed, and pharmacy shelves are bare as Covid cases rise in Logan.
A nurse from a Logan Medical Centre said there has been a huge increase in Covid cases coming through during the cooler weather.
“We have certainly seen a rise in Covid cases in the last few months, but also a big increase in influenza A, which is the flu,” she said.
“We find that the flu this year has been much worse in terms of people being bed-ridden and quite sick.
“I believe the rise in both these sicknesses is because people are not concerned about getting covid like they once were, we have almost gone back to normal, and people just aren’t being as cautious with sanitizing their hands or wiping down shared equipment.”
The nurse said there were still Covid restrictions within the medical field.
“We still have restrictions and have had them since Covid first began, for example masks need to be worn in medical centres and hospitals, and we as nurses and doctors need to wear full PPE (Personal Protective Equipment),” she said.
“Some medical centres also require full vaccination status.”
With the rise in winter lurgies across Logan, supermarkets and pharmacies are feeling the demand for cold and flu medication.
A Pharmacist from Terry White said cold and flu tablet and lozenges shelves are bare.
“We have been selling a lot of cold and flu tablets, as well as lozenges, Lemsip and Vapo products,” he said.
“We have also seen a lot of antibiotics over prescription, for respiratory infections and throat infections.
“Another big thing is vitamins, people are stocking up on those over winter, especially Vitamin C and Immune Support products.”
According to Queensland Government Statistics, there were more than 9000 covid cases reported in a single 24 hour period last week, lifting the total recorded Covid cases to more than 1.4 million since the pandemic began.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ Queensland Chair Dr Bruce Willett said Covid isn’t disappearing anytime soon.
“This virus is not disappearing anytime soon and although the thought of returning to measures like mask-wearing isn’t pleasant, at the end of the day it’s a relatively minor inconvenience that will help keep people in our communities safe,” he said.
“If you are feeling unwell, get tested and if your test is positive – isolate at home. We can all do small things to stop the spread of Covid-19, the flu, and other respiratory viruses by coughing and sneezing into your elbow and remembering to hand sanitise.”
