The Bay of Plenty District Health Board has seen the highest number of staff ever rush to receive the flu vaccination as people across the country take advantage of the free jabs.
Although the vaccination will not protect against swine flu, the outbreak which has now resulted in nine deaths has raised people's awareness of the importance of being protected against influenza and maintaining good health.
The number of confirmed swine flu cases in New Zealand rose by 41 yesterday to 2025, up from 1984 a day earlier.
Most people with flu-like symptoms are not being tested, so the true number is likely to be much higher.
The Bay of Plenty District Health Board yesterday said it was "impossible" to give actual figures on the number of people in Tauranga Hospital with seasonal flu, or suspected swine flu.
Bay of Plenty District Health Board chief operating officer Graham Dyer said patients were presenting on occasion with influenza-like symptoms but said not every patient was swabbed.
"It is changing all the time as people come and go. People presenting with influenza-like symptoms are isolated as appropriate to protect other patients."
A sign at the Emergency Department entrance requests people with flu like symptoms to send someone else in so medical staff can come out to the patient.
Bay of Plenty Medical Officer of Health Phil Shoemack said while the swine flu outbreak continued, the seasonal influenza immunisation had been given to more people nationally than any other year.
Nurse team leader for Central Med in Tauranga Linda Kelly said five to 10 people a day were seeking a free vaccination.
A spokesperson at Girven Road Medical Centre in Mount Maunganui said the centre hadn't seen an increase in people inquiring after the free jab yet but patients were responding when invited.
The centre had been targeting patients aged over 65 years.
"There are more people accepting the vaccination and that's probably because of the swine flu scare," the woman said.
Dr Shoemack said it was still worth being immunised as seasonal influenza often didn't peak until as late as September.
He said it was also worthwhile for people who had already been sick since there were multiple strains of influenza.
"You may have resistance to that strain but there are many others you can get," he said.
The influenza vaccine has always been free for over 65-year-olds and anyone under 65 with a chronic medical condition up until June. Now it is available free to everyone until September.
Tauranga City Council had one person in isolation for suspected swine flu - the third since the outbreak occurred, spokesman Marcel Currin said.
This month, there has been an average of 11 out of 400-plus Tauranga City Council staff members away every day, a "slight increase" on the normal figure for this time of year.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council chief executive Glenn Snelgrove, said an average of 15 per cent of staff had been off sick in the last five weeks, due to seasonal flu.
"The majority of these cases have been off work for two or three days."
There had been no confirmed cases of staff having swine flu, although at the start of the month they had three in isolation suspected of having the virus.
Mr Snelgrove said the council offered staff a free seasonal flu vaccination which about 60 per cent of the 160 staff had taken.
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