Why a doctor thinks influenza might never return as strong as it used to be
21 Feb, 2021 07:00 PM
4 minutes to read
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The potentially deadly influenza virus might never again have the same hold on New Zealand as it did before the Covid-19 pandemic, a Rotorua doctor says.
Each year, before Covid-19, more than 200,000 Kiwis catch
influenza - the flu - and an estimated 500 die from it. That's more than the annual road toll.
However, 2020 was different, with flu rates deep-diving across New Zealand as a direct result of Covid-19 and the lockdown, experts say.
Rotorua general practitioner Dr Cate Mills, from Three Lakes Clinic, suspects the flu will have a limited impact in the future.