Have you been struck down with a flu-like illness that has taken you out of commission for a week?
Are you forlorn at work because most of your team is home sniffling and sneezing?
You are not alone.
General Practice New Zealand chairman Bryan Betty said doctors were dealing with a “constant stream” of respiratory sicknesses spreading throughout the country, despite illness levels not yet having reached their winter peak.
His bigger concern, though, is the new flu strain that he said would be hitting New Zealand soon.
Betty, who runs a GP clinic in Porirua, said he had noticed slightly more people being struck down by respiratory illnesses or Covid right now than compared with some years.
He told the Herald rhinovirus and adenovirus were currently doing the rounds, alongside the ninth wave of Covid-19.
Rhinovirus could cause the common cold, lasting between seven and 11 days.
Adenovirus could cause more severe cold symptoms, with conjunctivitis, fever and digestive issues.
Betty said the current Covid wave was caused by a decrease in immunity and vaccination rates, rather than the emergence of a new variant.
New Zealand had typically experienced two waves of Covid every year since 2020, about six months apart from each other.
“The thing about Covid, which is different from the flu, is that it can happen all year round,” Betty said.
He said the flu had not hit New Zealanders this year but with winter on the horizon, a new “difficult” strain was coming.
Influenza A subclade K, nicknamed “super-k”, was a variant that spread across the US and Europe late last year.
“Super-K” is now making its way to New Zealand from Australia and would probably take off in the winter, according to Betty.
“It looks like it’s going to be quite a severe variant of the flu this year,” he said.
A recent BusinessNZ survey showed the median cost for a typical employee’s annual absence from work was about $1300.
“Our recent research shows employees are using more sick leave, but employers are also supportive of staff staying home to get well and look after loved ones,” BusinessNZ chief executive Katherine Rich said.
“While the increase in sick leave being taken does have an economic impact, it’s a reminder that a healthier workforce can be a boost to the economy too.”
Some secondary schools are experiencing higher-than-usual levels of sickness compared with previous years, Secondary Principals’ Council chairman Steven McCracken said.
Most high schools are only six to eight weeks into Term 1 but some teachers have already been off sick for a week or more, he said.
McCracken said it meant schools needed to rely on relief teachers more, despite there being a nationwide shortage of such staff.
If relief teachers were not available, teachers would have to give up their non-contact time to run classes.
McCracken said these waves of illness came amid the Government’s targeted focus on raising student attendance rates in schools.
In September, Ministry of Education figures showed one in four schools were struggling to hit the Government’s target of 80% of students attending school more than 90% of the time.
McCracken said while schools were under strain, they had not yet needed to resort to measures such as rostering students to study from home or cancelling classes.
He said while some schools offered flu vaccines to staff, most did not generally track vaccination rates for staff or students.
“I know many schools are already considering what Term 2 looks like, particularly into the deep, dark depths of winter.
“[They are] trying to make sure there’s enough relief teachers... To make sure that the kids can still learn and still attend their classes.”
The looming new strain of the flu, in Betty’s view, reinforced the need for people to get vaccinated this year.
Flu vaccines were free for eligible people, such as pregnant women or those over 65, and would otherwise cost between $20 and $40.
Covid vaccines were free and boosters were available to people aged 30 or older.
While many employers commonly funded flu vaccines for their employees each year, not many funded Covid boosters, Betty said.
He also recommended taking a sick day or working from home if you had any respiratory symptoms, such as sneezing or coughing.
While many workplaces still let employees work from home, he said the option was “dropping off from front of mind” for some employers.
Janhavi Gosavi is a Wellington-based journalist for the New Zealand Herald who covers news in the capital.